Dying
by Readergirl37
Summary: Elijah announces that he's dying. Rebekah is determined to stop it. slow Elijah/Elena, multichapter plotty fluff.
1. The Announcement

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

He announces it to his family after Rebekah's second ball. They're all still in tuxedos and Rebekah is taking out her earrings when he does. The earrings drop to the floor and she demands that he repeats it.

"I'm dying." He repeats himself. He doesn't look too concerned, his siblings all privately think. For _dying_ , well- they expected a little more emotion and a little less matter of fact. But then, Elijah's always been matter of fact.

"You are not allowed to tell anyone." Their older brother's face turns serious.

"Come off it, 'Lijah." Klaus says. He's expecting him to be kidding.

"I'm not joking, Niklaus." His face is as serious as his voice.

"You can't be dying." Finn frowns, and Kol, looks worried for a moment.

All of his brothers start speaking at once and it's hard to make out their individual statements through the cacophony until Rebekah shouts.

"You are not dying." She tells him, and it sounds like an order. He wishes he could agree, of course Rebekah, he'll stop this nonsense right at once. He opens his mouth-to say what, she doesn't know-

"No. You are not allowed to die." They all pretend to not notice her angry tears, forming in her eyes as she raises her voice.

"You are our brother- and you are not dying."

"Does this mean he's your favorite brother?" Kol teases. Rebekah's eyes fill with fire for a moment and she throws a vase at Kol's head. He ducks. Klaus doesn't comment, it was a vase he bought at an estate sale decades ago. Worth almost nothing. He's learned to keep the good vases and real antiques in a safer place- away from his siblings. Rebekah almost wonders about it.

They're all distracted, Kol complaining about petty blood loss, Rebekah about to ask Klaus about the cheap vase-and then it happens.

They see Elijah cough, and almost bend over.

"Goodnight." He says, and his voice has finality in it.


	2. Brownies

Rebekah doesn't sleep that night. She thinks of what could be wrong with Elijah and what could cause that awful noise coming from his throat because she can hear it through all of the walls that separate them. She can hear Elijah, all raspy, and coughing in his room.

Kol doesn't sleep either, but he has discovered a new kind of video game on his laptop. He stays up all night, working with other players to slay some kind of monster. And another. And another. And another. Digital bodies begin to pile up.

Klaus dreams of chasing running girls with blonde hair through the grass as they shriek and laugh- one blonde girl in particular- and funerals in black and white-tears from Rebekah are louder than thunder.

Finn dreams of Sage. He dreams of talking with her. But she is dead. There is nothing he can do about that. So he savors the dreams, one after another, like days or minutes.

Elijah, dreams of a certain girl. And dying. He dreams of his own funeral, and he wonders who will come to it. He does not wake up for a long time.

Rebekah wakes up first, she's always up earliest, unless anyone else is already up. She pretends _everything is absolutely fine_ _even though it absolutely isn't._ Klaus drops her off, and she rolls her eyes, knowing he only drops her off in the morning in the hopes of seeing _Caroline._

She doesn't hate Caroline Forbes. Not at all. She does hate _Elena Gilbert._ Just a little bit. She apologized of course, for staking her. It sounded genuine to Rebekah's ears, but doppelgangers were naturally deceiving, she knew. The latest doppelganger even noticed her staring at Stefan- she needed to hide the wistful look in her eyes-and told Rebekah there was nothing between her and Stefan. There was _nothing_ stopping her from dating him. Except the fact he didn't seem to want her. Rebekah walks to class, noting her human classmates.

 _She will not have a breakdown,_ she tells herself. It's fine, except it isn't and Elijah's dying alone at home and it hits her like a train that she has no idea how long he has left. She almost asks to be dismissed from math, but the irritating teacher calls on her. She knows the answer, of course she does, but she sees the Bennett witch's irritated look.

So she stays put. She just hopes she doesn't have a dead brother when she gets home.

She almost makes it. She almost makes it through the school day. But she doesn't. She goes home during lunch and texts Klaus not to pick her up.

She almost rips off the front door- but she hears Elijah moving around. She also hears Kol and muffled swearing. She ignores the latter.

"Rebekah?" Elijah asks. She can hear him from the threshold, he's in the kitchen. She sees him a few seconds later.

"You should be in bed." She tells him. He merely raises an eyebrow.

"And you should be in school." He reminds her, ripping open a box of mix- she doesn't bother reading the label.

"And yet, here we both are." Elijah says, continuing to fracture the silence. He rips the plastic bag open with a practiced precision.

"I thought-" She stops, and watches him for a few moments, stirring the contents of the bag in a glass bowl. He adds eggs, cracking them, and other ingredients that she notices, the back of the box does not mention.

"Elijah." She says, and he continues.

"What?" He asks, and she almost is irritated by the tone of amusement coloring his voice-

"What are you doing?" She asks. Her voice is soft.

"I'm making brownies. One of the clubs you belong to is having a bake sale, are you not?"

"Yes, but-" She's cut off by Elijah asking her to taste the batter.

"It's good- Elijah- stop." She commands. He does not, and pours the thick batter into a pan.

"What do you want, Rebekah?" He asks.

"I came home because I was worried I was going to _find your corpse!"_ She shouts at him. If he wasn't weak, she would bang her fists against his chest. She doesn't realize she's crying until he pulls her against him. She clutches at his suit jacket. He smoothes her hair.

"I don't want you to die." She tells him.

"I have more than a day left." He tells her.

"How do you know that?" She asks through angry tears.

"I'm the one dying, Rebekah. I think I know." He tells her. He's blunt and she needs him to lie. They both know he won't. She doesn't ask.

So they stay like that. Until something beeps and pulls her brother from her. She almost protests, but he shoots her a look, and she watches him pull the brownies out of the oven and turn a knob.

He pulls her back into the embrace, wordless. He knows she needs it and she knows in that moment, for sure- he will not die. Not from whatever is hurting him.

"I'm old, Rebekah." He reminds her gently.

"Shut up, you're only a few years older than me." She retorts to cover her thoughts and the still flowing tears.

"I'm okay. I'm ready to go."

"Don't you dare say that to me again. I mean it." She tells him, and digs her fingers into his jacket.

"Are you going to let whatever it is kill you?" She asks. She has to know.

"As opposed to?" He asks, and she almost laughs. Of course he'd only see the one way. The selfless way, or so he thinks. Rebekah doesn't think letting all of them see him sick and dying is selfless.

"Getting staked." She says simply.

"That's an idea. We could stake you." Klaus enters the kitchen.

"How do you know it will stop whatever it is?' Elijah asks.

Rebekah just looks at him, and he can feel the anger rolling off in waves. She debates throwing a vase at him.

"We don't." She snaps.

"I suggest you don't try it." Her dying brother tells her, with an amused grin gracing his lips.

"Brownies!" They see Kol move quickly, excitement plain on his features. He snakes his arm towards the hot glass pan. Elijah intercepts his hand.

"They're for the bake sale." Is all he says.


	3. Fine

"Hey." Someone's talking to her. It takes a moment for it to register, despite Original senses. It's Caroline, pom poms in both hands and a concerned look gracing her features. Her eyes are soft. Rebekah doesn't want pity or concern. She's about to tell her off-

"What do you want, Forbes?" She asks, her voice is rough. The question comes out like a blunt hit. Her mind is thousands of miles away-

"You haven't been coming to practice. The brownies you made were a hit at the bake sale, but Klaus just dropped them off at the table and you haven't been to school in almost a week. Is everything okay?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Rebekah begins. She doesn't bother correcting Caroline on who made the brownies.

"I know." Caroline interrupts. There's a moment of silence as they hear the other cheerleaders looking for Caroline. She turns, her shoes squeaking slightly on the school linoleum, and Rebekah is planning on moving away-quickly-but what comes out of the younger vampire's mouth makes her stop for a moment.

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here." With that, the head cheerleader leaves.

Rebekah doesn't look at her for a week.

She doesn't go to school the next week, there's no point when she can compel herself into graduating.


	4. Old

Instead of going to school, she spends her time with Elijah. He doesn't seem to have any objections, and if he does-she doesn't care.

It's been a few days without school, and she likes skipping. Elijah sits next to her on the couch, and she tucks her feet under a blanket as they watch an old movie. Old, she muses, is such a relative term. _They_ are old, by human standards anyway. They're _bloody ancient._ They notice when Kol sits on the other couch, quiet. He doesn't make a sound and they can hear someone, Finn-Rebekah decides, coming down the stairs. They can still hear Klaus, irritated about paint colors. Finn sits next to Kol. There's space there, between them. Elijah restarts the movie as Klaus enters the room. He sits between Kol and Finn. And the movie is watched, silently.

The house is fairly quiet after that. Rebekah wonders for a fleeting moment if Elijah is growing tired of her. She doesn't care. They don't know how long they have with him, and he offers nothing. She's caught between trying to think away out of it and to stop scheming and spend as much time with Elijah as possible.

It's almost silent in their house after she stops going to school until Klaus opens the door one afternoon, and sounds more enthused than he has in weeks.

"Caroline." He says. Rebekah wonders if he could be any more obvious. They all hear her clear her throat.

"I um-I brought Rebekah's homework. Is she okay?" Klaus is momentarily touched by her concern, he takes the papers, his hands touch hers for a moment before hers retreat to her sides. It's _almost_ perfect. but Rebekah flashes over, and in his mind _ruins the moment._

"I'm fine." Rebekah says curtly, and shuts the door.

Klaus doesn't comment when she burns the worksheets in the fireplace.


	5. Spilling the Beans

"Hey, Rebek-" Caroline blocks the door after class, she could throw the blonde for _miles_ _and she'd never touch the ground-_ she doesn't notice that the doppelganger and the Bennett witch are in the hallway until later.

"My brother's dying." She says bluntly. The one day she decides to go to class since Elijah wanted her to at least go half of the day. She thinks it's a blessing that it's Friday.

"Klaus?" Caroline asks, and Rebekah thinks for a second that maybe does have a shot at her heart after all.

"No. Elijah." She says, and she notices the doppelganger's face. She looks- no. Rebekah won't let herself go there.

"Keep this information to yourselves." Rebekah snaps at them.

She turns, and walks away.

She should be angry with herself, she should just _kill them to keep the information private._ They have no right to it.

She can hear the doppelganger talking, and she wants her to _just shut up. She doesn't know her brother._ Not as well as she did.

She goes home after lunch. She always does now. Compelling secretaries always did _wonders._ She doesn't miss the two elective classes.

Elijah opens the door for her, and she's quiet. She wants to do something, but she needs him out of the house. She doesn't think he's been out of the house since before the ball. She knows Klaus is too preoccupied. Kol is nowhere to be found, and Finn had been spending time in the woods lately. Brooding, most likely.

So with annoyance, she called Caroline, while eating lunch at the Grill. She wants her to get Klaus out of the house, along with Elijah, the next day. Caroline doesn't ask why, but agrees.

She goes home, and hears Klaus on the phone, hears the sound of his excited voice. Elijah frowns at her for a moment before his own phone rings. She leaves for her room. She doesn't listen to the conversations. It's a Friday, but days blur together for Rebekah.

That night, she does not dream.


	6. Tenterhooks

Elijah and Klaus are both leaving the house at the same time. Rebekah waits on tenterhooks, lets out the breath she was holding while they were home. They're out of hearing range. Time to go look through her mother's room. Maybe Elijah's sickness is caused by a spell. Not by the Bennett witch, she looked genuinely surprised. Her heart didn't speed up, guilty hearts were so _easy_ to catch. She sees Kol's face before she shuts the door. She doesn't say anything in her panic- he sees her frozen face and nods. He won't tell. She lets out a sigh of relief, and begins to quickly scan her mother's books and grimoires. It's _painful_ , to say the least. She had hundreds of years to cope with her mother's death, but she was alive and- she refocuses.

Her mother is dead. Elijah, is not.


	7. Hello

"It's nice to see you." Elena says, as she slides into the booth across from him. It's nice to see her. She picked the place, but he offered the options. She had called him because she hadn't seen him lately, that was her lie to him. She didn't like lying to him, but if he was dying, truly-she'd rather hear it from him. She didn't want to risk betraying Rebekah's trust either.

"Hello Elena." He says, and notices it- something's wrong with her. She's tense and her heart is beating too quickly for a casual lunch between friends/allies. There's something on her mind, something worrying her. He hears her heart stutter as he looks her in those doe eyes of hers.

"Are you alright, Elijah?" Elena blurts. He is aware he does not look entirely like himself, despite his best efforts. He brushes the question off.

"I am fine. I've just preoccupied with business, I apologize." Elijah pulls it off. _He's almost has her fooled._ She forces herself to relax.

"Things have been so crazy lately." She says honestly, as a waiter comes with menus. He notices the waiter's stare at her, she does not.

They order, he orders to appear human, much to Elena's amusement, they ordered an appetizer with garlic. She smiles and it's genuine, but there's worry underneath.

"Yes, they have." He says simply. She inhales as the appetizer comes, what Elena calls, "fancy garlic bread".

They talk about everything but family and friends. Elena asks if she could send him a rough draft of a story she's been writing. She looks nervous and flustered, and he agrees. He'd love to. She's less tense after that.

There's still something underneath, that he can't put a name to. They talk of books, and he gives recommendations, and so does she. She doesn't want the lunch to end-she doesn't know the next time she sees him alive will be.

She tells him that she would like to see him again, soon. Life is crazy, and unpredictable and he'd like to do it if he wasn't busy next week and she would bring her rough draft if he wanted?

He agrees, and he gives her a smile that makes her want to see it a thousand more times even though she knows she will not- _he's dying._

He sees something he can identify in her eyes. Sadness. He wonders the cause of such an emotion, and then her phone vibrates. It's Caroline, who declares her distraction time with Klaus was over, and wanted to know if she wanted to hang out. Elena agrees, quickly typing back a reply and sends it.

"Call me." Elena says simply, and leaves a tip-Elijah had insisted on paying, claiming it was his fault for not getting together sooner. She walks out, tears refusing to listen to her, and she tries to not let them fall. Her phone vibrates again, Caroline is parked across the street. She runs into the street, spotting the car she recognizes as Caroline's. She doesn't see the one heading straight for her.


	8. Blood Splatter

whoops I also forgot to mention this is a soulmate au where only your soulmate can heal you from deadly injuries and the one where you form a telepathic/empathetic link until/after you find them-and in the vein of once upon a time (which only vaguely affected this), the soulmate stuff only works if you find your soulmate and believe you're soulmates! Stay tuned!

She sees the car headed for her for a split second before she feels firm arms around her and the feeling of vampire speed, she's on the pavement next to Caroline's car, wrapped up in someone. She tries to calm her breathing, and she doesn't expect the face she sees.

"Kol?" She asks, his arms immediately returning to his sides as she does-

"I was just around, darling. Don't think too much about it. My brother would be very upset if you became just a blood splatter." He tells her, and disappears. She stares at the space he occupied for a few seconds.

Of course. Klaus would be upset. But with Elijah dying, it had been peaceful. No threats or deaths and for a brief moment, she wonders if he'll do something after Elijah is dead. If it was a spell, the only thing that could have him would be his soulmate. Whoever that person was, Elijah hadn't met yet. Thoughts of Elijah disappear as someone else holds her tightly.

"OhmygodElenaareyouokayI'msosorryIwasn'tfastenough!" Caroline blurts and it takes Elena a second to register what the blonde had said. She tucks away the idea that vampire speed can be used to talk.

"Can you just take me home? I need to have a talk with you and Bonnie." Elena says, tiredly, hugging Caroline back before letting go.

"Is it the Salvatores? Do I need to tell Bonnie to get the ice cream and sleeping bags?" Caroline asks as she opens her door. Elena does the same, and almost laughs. The Salvatores hadn't been on her mind in weeks. After she had met Lexi, who had called her by the wrong name, she stopped all romantic thoughts about the Salvatores. Stefan was currently off somewhere with Katherine, and she hadn't heard from Damon in ages. She didn't want to be a replacement. She wanted her soulmate.

"No to the first question, yes to the second." Elena tells her, as she sinks into the passenger seat, with the slam of a door.

Caroline's already sent the texts before Elena buckles her seat belt.

"Are you okay, Elena?" Concerned blue eyes meet brown.

"No." Elena decides. She isn't.


	9. Dam

It takes half an hour for everything to be settled, Bonnie has placed several pints of ice cream in the Gilbert freezer, Caroline had all of their movies on the coffee table and Elena takes a deep breath before tears burst out, like a broken dam.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asks.

"I'm in love." Elena sobs, her body shaking.

"Love is a good thing." Bonnie says, concerned and confused-

"But he's dying and I can't tell him." Caroline and Bonnie trade confused looks before she continues.

"I'm in love with Elijah." She cries and Caroline just holds her.


	10. Brain Freeze

AN: It's two in the morning, I'll upload the rest tomorrow and at the latest, a day after that.

"Oh no." Caroline murmurs, and Elena is sandwiched between them in a hug. Elena cries until she can't. Then, she decides she can't focus on it right then, or it will just get worse. She wished she was his soulmate, but the idea is so unlikely that she closes her eyes in disappointment. She was so sure-but he hadn't mentioned anything. Bonnie wraps a blanket around her and hands her tissues as Caroline grabs spoons and ice cream.

Elena sniffles as Caroline hands her a pint.

"I love you guys."

"We love you too Elena." Caroline says, and Bonnie asks what they should watch. Elena votes cartoons while Caroline asks Ric to be cautious around Elena when he and Jeremy get home. Ric replies back, that he and Jeremy assume they're staying the night, and will get pizza on their way home. Caroline realizes that Elena chose cartoons because they didn't have romantic plot lines. Caroline approves.

"Jeremy and Ric will bring pizza home for dinner." Caroline informs her and Elena nods, focusing on the mystery solving skills of four humans and a talking dog. Elena decides her problem is like a pint of ice cream. She needed to go slowly, or end up with a brain freeze.


	11. Family

Caroline turns on a few lights around the house when the sun starts to go down. They've gone through a season of Scooby Doo before Jeremy and Ric open the door, pizza in their arms. As they get plates and distribute food, Caroline gets a blood bag out of the fridge. Even though her only blood relative in the entire house is Jeremy, this is her family. She's happy to have them, Elena thinks.


	12. Knew It

Elijah is in bed when Kol enters his room. The lights are dimmed, even though they have no need for light. He's reading some ancient book that Kol actually recognizes from centuries past.

"Just thought you should know, the doppelganger almost got hit by a car today." Kol tells his brother, sitting in the chair closest to him.

"Is she okay?" Elijah asks, and Kol knew it. His older brother actually puts his book down to look at him. He fancies the doppelganger. Score.

"She's with the blonde Klaus fancies and they talked of having the Bennett witch over. I lost interest after that." He informs his brother.

He neglects to mention who did the life saving. Let Elijah draw wrong conclusions, nonetheless, he sees him relax. Rebekah has her methods, he has his own. He just hopes one of them will be able to save Elijah.


	13. Diary

She tries to rationalize it to her diary when Caroline and Bonnie are asleep. She's in love with the second oldest vampire alive. Although Elijah and Finn didn't seem to have a very large age difference, she thinks. She writes pages on the pros and cons, the pros being along the lines of getting the weight off her chest and the cons being her relationship with Elijah destroyed. She feels almost silly, it's ridiculous-Elijah has never shown interest in her. She goes to bed after she hides her diary behind the mermaid. She doesn't see the text that lights up her screen. She doesn't see the man in her tree half an hour later, looking in for the briefest of seconds before disappearing. She dreams of cartoons, where everything is always bright and perfect.


	14. Morning

The next morning, they wake up to the smell of pancakes, and Elena wakes up to a text from Elijah. Her heart clenches painfully, and if he were anyone else she'd consider deleting it and ignoring him until her heart healed.

But it's Elijah. The man who saved her life over and over and her ally. She opens it, wondering if she's masochistic while Caroline stretches. He heard about her near death experience and wondered about her wellbeing. Also, if she would like to do lunch again the next Saturday. Part of her jumps for joy while the other part, the larger part, remembers that _he's dying._


	15. Half Hearted

She replies with what she hopes isn't an over eager yes, and a reassurance that she's fine. By the time she does, Caroline and Bonnie drag her downstairs for breakfast.

Ric and Jeremy are gone, notes on the fridge tell Elena where they are. Her best friends spend breakfast trying to see if she's fine. She nods.

Caroline gets a text, an unfamiliar number, and another from her mother.

"Okay. We're here for you, okay? Bonnie, I'll give you a ride home." Bonnie nods.

"We'll see you tomorrow, okay? Don't forget to do the English homework." Bonnie tells her as they head up the stairs. Elena continues eating, half hearted stabs at her pancake victims.


	16. Loophole

Caroline packs Bonnie's bag in seconds, and they leave Elena for Caroline's car. Her mother wants her home, she's getting off her shift soon. And she doesn't mention it to Bonnie, but Rebekah wants to come over.

Bonnie says goodbye in her own driveway and Caroline grins and waves at her until she's inside. When she's down the street, she calls Rebekah.

"You need to come over for decade dance planning?" She asks, knowing it's a lie, and Rebekah is clever. All of the Originals had to be, to survive for so long.

"Yes. I'll be over in ten." Rebekah's tone is clipped and she hangs up. Caroline wonders what she needs help with, because she knows it isn't schoolwork. She pulls into her driveway and her mother is standing on the porch. She forgot her things at Elena's but it's fine. She'll get them tomorrow.

When she reaches the door, her mother hugs her.

"Sorry for all of these long shifts, we're trying to get another person to work with us and then I'll be home more." Her mother says, hugging her like she used to when Caroline was a child. The only difference is Caroline can pick her mother up now, not the other way around.

"Yay!" She exclaims, her head resting on the Sheriff's shoulder. There's been a shift lately. Caroline is a senior and a vampire, and growing up from the little girl she was-and her mother can tell she'll want adventure soon, she'll fly from the nest and soar.

The sheriff just hopes Caroline will be okay after she dies. She wouldn't want to be a vampire. Forever is a very long time, she thinks as she sees an expensive car pull up in their driveway. The driver parks behind Caroline so the police car can still get out.

"I've got to go, that Sheriff from Georgia should be at the station in a few minutes. I love you. See you at dinner." Her mother says, and lets go. Caroline nods.

"I love you." She tells her mother, as she walks away.

"I love you too, Caroline." Her mother says, and she sees Rebekah get out of her car.

"Good afternoon, Sheriff Forbes. Can you please invite me into your home?"

"Good afternoon, please come in." The blonde woman says, and starts her car.

"What do you need?" Caroline asks. She hasn't been to school in ages. She knows Originals need sleep, Klaus had told her the day prior, pleased she had asked-but Rebekah looks absolutely exhausted. It makes Caroline wonder how long she's gone without sleep. The idea of going on another date with Klaus is ridiculous. She would never want Klaus. She remembered too many times he had made Elena cry. Elena hadn't been the only one who had looked up to Jenna.

"Can I pull into your garage?" Rebekah asks. Caroline nods, and uses her garage opener. She watches Rebekah pull her expensive car into her garage-it probably is worth more than her entire house, she thinks. She closes the garage door when she parks, and walks inside.

"What do you want my help with?" Caroline asks, knowing Rebekah can hear her from any part of her house.

"I'm going to save Elijah." Rebekah says, and Caroline freezes.

"How?" She asks, as she moves to the garage, where the Original is holding a large stack of old looking books.

"I have all of my mother's books and grimoires in here. There has to be a spell that made him this way. All magic has loopholes. I just need to find this one."


	17. Books

"A loophole? There's a loophole for this?" Caroline asks, picking up a stack of ancient books from the backseat.

"Yes. There's supposed to be." Rebekah tells her, and asks where they should put them.

"My room." Caroline decides.

"So, why me?" Caroline asks.

"One, you can keep your mouth shut, two, I need someplace to keep the books, where my brothers wouldn't look."

"Klaus won't look here for anything? How do none of your brothers notice all of these books missing?" Caroline asks, as she sets them down on the floor.

"They're all preoccupied with Elijah. I got these books from my mother's room. The door has been shut for months. It's why I needed you and Elena to distract Klaus and Elijah."

"What about Kol and Finn?" Caroline asks, as Rebekah sets her stack down, gently.

"Finn's too busy in his own head and Kol can keep his mouth shut. Once we unload all of these books, they have to stay here with you. If Elijah finds out, he'll-" She breaks off, and disappears.

She reappears with more books. Caroline groans internally.


	18. Even More Books

AN: This didn't seem like this many chapters when I outlined… oh well. This will end up being over thirty chapters probably, but as you guys know, they're not too long!

"I'm almost done with this one. What language is this?" Caroline is sitting next to Rebekah on her bed, and shows her the page.

"That is French, on how to turn yourself into a cat. Not relevant." Rebekah says primly and before Caroline can wonder why someone would want to turn themself into a cat, a phone rings. Not hers, and Rebekah answers.

"What do you want, Nik?" She sounds bored, and not like they're messing around with highly dangerous books, and Caroline is impressed before she's irritated.

"Yes, I'm with Caroline and no, I'm not asking her that. Yes. The decade dance, Nik. The ones you don't care about. Yes. See you in an hour." Rebekah hangs up and shoots Caroline an apologetic look.

"One down, at least." Caroline offers, making a new stack away from the neat piles of books everywhere in her room. She grabs another book and begins reading very, very old English. The room is silent after that.

"I'll be back tomorrow." Rebekah tells her when the hour is over and she has to go home.

"Okay." Caroline nods. She doesn't know what to make of the Original. She decides to figure it out later, as Elena texts her, to remind her of the math homework she had forgotten. She curses, and gets out her school bag.


	19. Lunch and great moral debates

Rebekah doesn't tell Elijah, but as soon as she knows Caroline is gone and left a key under the mat for her, she disappears to Caroline's house to go through more grimoires. Elijah looks the same as he did the week before, so it must be something slow moving, she determines. That takes five books out of the running to having an answer to what kind of spell it was. She's home for lunch, Elijah is busy with some moral debate she doesn't care to listen to, up in his room. She bites into a bag of blood and wonders how much time is really left.


	20. Soulmate

An: I'm super sick so kudos to me for typing this up on my Google Docs app

Elijah knows what his sister is doing. She's trying to find his soulmate. Someone wants him dead and he, for once is not very inclined to stop it. He has no idea if his soulmate is even alive at the moment. None of his siblings had found theirs, except for Finn, and when Sage hadn't come to him as soon as possible, Finn had feared the worst. He had tried repeatedly contacting her, but she was dead. The only thoughts in his head were his own.

Finding his soulmate would be a nearly impossible task. He had almost thought Elena had been his soulmate. But she is human, and his relationship with her is one sided at best in his mind. His thoughts are interrupted by his phone. Elena. She wants to know what his plans for Saturday are. He texts her back, and tells her he liked one of her recommendations. He spends most of his day reading anyway.


	21. Hope

Caroline picked her up for school, and is parked in her driveway as they grab her forgotten things. She wants to tell Elena there's hope but she can't. Life has been too cruel to her friend already. She doesn't want to give hope when there isn't any, or even worse, give hope just to have it be taken away. Caroline loads up her bag, and waves goodbye. She wonders if Rebekah is at her house still. She doesn't see Elena smile at her phone.


	22. Friends

AN: I swear the plot picks up this chapter. Also skulls by Bastille-Elejah vibes anyone?

By that Friday, Caroline is sure that she has never read so much in her life, even with vampire speed- it's a daunting task.

Klaus keeps texting her, a debt she reminds Rebekah of. She is not interested in Klaus, she reminds Rebekkah. She also adds, while using Google Translate to decipher the French on the page, that Klaus is growing suspicious of them. Rebekah replies that her can bugger off. They sit, and skim in near silence in Caroline's room. It's a project for just them, Rebekah told her, when Caroline suggested another person would help. Especially a witch.

Bonnie doesn't like her, Rebekah reminds her, and Elena can't lie to his brother. She sees the point, but her relationship with Rebekah is changing. They're like friends. Only Rebekah hasn't mentioned that word, so Caroline tries not to assume.

They spend the night reading, and Rebekah has clothes in her closet. They're not friends-not really, Caroline tries to remind herself.


	23. Stutter

AN: Elejah focused chapter! Woo!

They're in another restaurant, one out of Mystic Falls this time. He offered to pick her up and she agreed. It was good to be eco friendly, she tells herself. It doesn't mean anything. Even though she wants it to.

They order and she smiles at him and he smiles back. He looks slightly worse than the week before. They make small talk, he tells her he read most of her recommendations and she tells him she's been too busy to even think about anything other than school-she and Caroline have a huge essay coming up in a week. She wonders if he's tired of her complaining, _he's dying_.

He likes listening to little details. He likes knowing Elena Gilbert, and he doesn't know of another human who would willingly turn their back on him to get something. It's so foolish to turn one's back to a vampire, they're killers and he should know, being the second vampire ever in existence-but when he looks at her he doesn't hear her blood first. He sees her eyes, filled with trust, unlike her relatives. He sees her grin and nervousness. She isn't just special blood. She's Elena.

He almost feels uncomfortable at the aspect. He hasn't been this close to a human in decades. Or is it centuries? His thoughts disappear as Elena hands him a thick packet from her purse. It's stapled neatly, and he notices her heart stutter out of anxiety.

He begins to read.


	24. Not the Library

AN: I've been writing so much asoiaf fic that I wrote Starks instead of starts omg.

He tells her what he likes and what she could work on as he reads, looking up once he's done with each page. She pulls out another copy from her purse and starts marking things in red. He's a third through before their lunch arrives and Elena looks almost disappointed. But they still have more time, she tells herself. At least for now. He tells her jokes, he enjoys making her laugh. He wants to ask, he physically feels better around her-he wants her to be his soulmate, wants to be hers.

She has to tell him to stop one of his jokes because she's laughing so hard that she can't breathe, his wit is still sharp. He gives her a grin as she tries to shoot an accusing look. It doesn't stay long, and he continues the joke. Her ribs hurt even after they leave the restaurant. He takes his copy with him and she takes it as he drives. They drive back to Mystic Falls, and she tells him ridiculous stories of her youth. He tells a few as well, lighthearted stories of Rebekah's first crush, who was scared away by her team of brothers, the time Klaus tried to woo a girl he was interested in and failed spectacularly- it's an interesting peek into his life.

She could listen to him speak for hours. They decide to continue talking about her rough draft in his place of residence, as Jeremy would probably be occupied with Bonnie. Elena didn't want to interrupt their limited time together. It's interesting, and strange.

She knows logically, most people would not want to talk to someone who had betrayed them-especially not when said person's brother had actually killed them. But she feels safe, for some odd reason, when walking into the home of the oldest vampires on the planet. It might be the fact that Elijah is carrying his copy of her rough draft and opening doors for her. It might be the fact that he's too much of a gentleman to point out her erratic heartbeat. They walk casually up the stairs, like it's not a big deal that she had to establish a code in this building to tell Elijah his mother wanted to kill him. Like it's not a big deal his mother almost killed her. She almost wonders what members of his family haven't tried to kill her.

They pass by Kol, who merely says,

"Hello, Elena." In a slow drawl.

"Hey." She says, and they walk to what she assumes is the library. It's not the library. Unless libraries suddenly have beds in them now. It's Elijah's room and she tells herself that it's no big deal, really. She's not very interested in his bed, while she would like to see if Elijah is as good of a kisser as she thinks he is-she's not interested in his bed at all. She's more interested in his bookshelves and their contents, and the man himself. She is interested that he does sleep, for a long time, she almost thought he was above such basic needs.

The dark colors of the room suit him well, and she wonders if she'll ever see him in something other than a suit. If she was alone in the massive, sprawling house, she'd see if he had any other kinds of clothing. She doesn't. All of the little details that make up his room make it feel lived in. Even though he's well, dead. Undead. If he wasn't so damn intense all the time, she could see him pass for human.

She sits on the couch after she politely takes off her shoes. He sits in the armchair a few feet away and he continues going through her rough novel. He doesn't tell her Klaus isn't there, or that Kol is playing video games again. He just continues talking. Once they're both on the last page, Elena suppresses a yawn and he gives her an honest review of it. She's proud, he's never seen a smile that big on her face before, and she gets off his couch to stretch. It's been a few hours, but she doesn't want to leave. She looks at his books, careful not to touch any of them. He offers his books to her. Her eyes are bright. She wants to hug him but doesn't. He has so many books, and she knows there's a library somewhere in the massive house. She picks an interesting looking book of poetry, his hand brushes against her back as he leans past her to get a book. Her heart stutters and he sits on his bed, leaning back against the pillows. She sits on the couch, and carefully opens the book. She doesn't want to leave and he doesn't want her to leave. She sends a quick text to Alaric about being home late, not bothering to check the time.


	25. Human

AN: Thank you, you lovely readers! also: shout out to siberia21 I appreciate you so much omg thank you for reviewing!

She's halfway through the book of poems before she realizes they've been sitting in comfortable silence for almost an hour. It doesn't feel strange, or odd. It feels so natural that it almost scares her. It's safe. Secure.

"You look almost human when you do that." She tells him, peeking over her book. The words are a mistake, she's not sure if he'll take it as a compliment or not.

"What do you mean, Elena?" He takes his time to say her name.

"You just, you look relaxed." She tries to explain. She can't tell how he takes it until he grins at her.

"I think I enjoy being a vampire significantly more." He tells her before his eyes return to his book.

"Why?" She can't help the question.

"Well, I would be dead without being a vampire." He points out and she nods.

They sit in silence, reading their respective books for another hour, and then she decides to do something either incredibly brave or stupid. She can't tell. She sits next to him, on his bed. He just looks over at her, amused.

She continues working on the thick book of poetry, occasionally asking questions, like what's his favorite book that he owns, and does he have a favorite poem out of the book in her hands?

Eventually, she looks over after he hasn't answered her question, and finds he's moved down, on his back.

"Elijah?" She asks, quietly. No response. She checks her phone. It's one am and she has a text from Ric that just says "okay". She yawns and the last thing she remembers is putting the book and her phone on the nightstand.


	26. Almost

AN: My goal is to post to chapter thirty but it's like 2AM again so we'll see, I guess!

He wakes up briefly, something is touching him, or someone-he jolts awake, ready to fight. That's the second thing he notices. He feels good. Not normal, but like the first day he realized he was dying good- almost okay. The first thing he notices is that Elena Gilbert is sleeping in his bed, next to him, her hand is touching his suit jacket. The third thing that he notices, is that someone put a blanket over them. He wonders which of his siblings would do it. Not Niklaus, Rebekah is with Caroline trying to find his soulmate, Kol is playing his video games still-Finn most likely. He could move, or move Elena to the couch, he could wake her up and take her home and apologize, but he's tired and his phone tells him it's three AM. He decides that he'll apologize in the morning. If he moves then he'll wake up Elena, who will probably be embarrassed because he knows she doesn't see him in a romantic way-he decides to let her wake up first and he'll pretend to wake up to save face.

With heavy eyelids, he succumbs to sleep, and on odd feeling in his stomach.


	27. So much for discreet

Elena wakes up in a bed she recognizes as not hers. She blinks, and realizes, to her embarrassment, her head is touching Elijah's chest, and her arm is thrown over his stomach. She moves very, very slowly, and rolls to her side. She finds her phone half dead, and reads the screen. 7AM. She groans, and moves to the couch to think. She doesn't understand why such a small amount of sleep feels so great, but she glances over at Elijah, who's sitting up and yawning.

"I must have been more tired than I had thought." He says casually.

"Yeah, I fell asleep on the other side. Sorry." She says, twisting the truth.

"I'll take you home." He offers. She nods, stretching. She knows how it will look to her neighbors, they're both wearing their clothes from yesterday, but honestly-they fell asleep. As she carries her shoes and slips her phone into her pocket, she wonders for the hundredth time if they're soulmates or not. Soulmates had healing powers, and everyone always said they felt the best while with their soulmate, her parents, Aunt Jenna and Alaric-she almost runs into Elijah, who's stopped at the front door. He's opening the door, slowly-and Elena sees a blur towards them and smacks into Elijah and almost screams. He catches her, and when they see who it is, she relaxes and moves out of his arms.

"Kol." Elijah's voice is quiet and radiates power. He'll have a talk with Kol later.

"I'm going. It was nice to see you again, Elena." He says, before disappearing. Elijah can hear her heart beating quickly-

"So much for getting out of here discreetly." She mutters, and pulls the door open.


	28. One sided

Elijah apologizes for Kol a few times, on the way to her house. She brushes it off.

"It's fine." She says, and it is. Her essay is due Wednesday, but they have a day off on Thursday this week. She suggests an editing session for her rough draft, if he isn't busy?

He agrees. He feels great. He parks in her driveway and she thanks him for the day before. He wishes there was a way to find out if she was his soulmate other than kissing him. Not that he doesn't want to kiss Elena Gilbert-he's just never been one for one sided anything, really.

So why does he keep spending time with an uninterested Elena Gilbert? He asks himself as he drives away. Even if she isn't his soulmate, it's okay. He wishes they lived in a world where soulmates were guesswork. The weight of destiny and gods and having another person in your head at all times seems a little overwhelming. Still. And he's one of the oldest people on the planet. He makes a note to ask Finn about his experience.


	29. Kissing Rubbish

AN: I actually am a Latin student, thus the don't use google translate for Latin thing. Seriously. Please. Ask a Latin speaker.

When Caroline wakes up, she hears the shower running, most likely Rebekah, since she had showered last night. She starts translating, it's Swedish this time, thank goodness for Google Translate for the getting the gist of a mass of text-although Rebekah has to deal with the books that are in Latin. She reads the chapter, sort of. The cure to any curse or spell was a corny True Love's Kiss, of course. Elena is in love with Elijah, she knows-but she's not sure if that's enough. She needs to ask Rebekah when she gets out of the shower.

"Rebekah?" She asks, looking at a spell-she hears the water turn off.

"Yes, Caroline?" Rebekah asks, her hair up in a towel, and a dress on.

"Is your brother in love with anyone? I keep hitting the same dead end." Caroline says.

"Oh that kissing rubbish?" The Original asks, looking bored.

"Yeah." Caroline sighs.

"That's a trick from my mother. She spread it around so witches never needed to have a reversal spell. It's clever, but it's killing Elijah. I just want a recipe or something easy. There's billions of people on the planet, and my brother hasn't met his soulmate before now. Why would now be any different from centuries of not having one?" Rebekah flops onto Caroline's bed and sighs.

"Let's take a break. Then, right back to it." Rebekah tells her, and Caroline flops down next to her.

"Okay. Hey we don't have school on Thursday. So I'll be here if you want to come over." Caroline says, and Rebekah agrees. Elijah has almost always been there for her. Now is her time to be there for him.


	30. Questions

AN: It's four am here dear readers, and I apologize if this doesn't make sense!

"You're looking good today." Klaus says, noting the same suit as the day before-and the smell of Elena Gilbert on him. Perhaps a hug. It's not very strong.

"I feel good, Niklaus." His brother says simply, and it's almost like Elijah's healthy again, but he is slower, still. He's still sick. Klaus frowns in disappointment, as he watches Elijah move around.

"Finn." Elijah says, as he moves with almost the same speed as his siblings.

"Yes?" Finn asks. The library, Elijah discovers.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" He asks his older brother.

Finn nods.


	31. Something Wrong

AN: Caroline centric chap!

It's forever, in Elena's mind, until Thursday. Caroline comes over and they manage to bullshit their way through the essay topic, while proof checking each other. Bonnie does other homework, there for moral support. And for ice cream from Elena's freezer.

"Thank God for no school on Thursday." Caroline says, sighing.

She's laying on Elena's couch as Elena does a final proof check on her essay.

"Do you think I could compel us no school on Friday?" She wonders aloud.

"Caroline." Bonnie says, and without saying the words, it's a no.

"I was just kidding. Mostly." Caroline mutters.

"I feel like crap this week." Caroline announces.

"It's probably a lack of sleep." Bonnie points out as Elena expertly marks in red pen. Caroline doesn't seem content with the answer but placates Bonnie by going,

"Yeah, maybe."

She wonders what has changed. Something feels wrong. She needs to talk to Stefan. She sends a text, she wants to talk. With just him. Something is wrong. Maybe Stefan feels it too.


	32. Salvatores

"Something feels wrong." Caroline tells Damon and Stefan, Wednesday after school. They're standing by the front door of the Boarding House.

"Tell me about it, Blondie." Damon says, taking a swig of Bourbon straight from the bottle.

"Wait, no Caroline's right." Stefan says, and Damon pretends to gasp.  
"I'm shocked!" He exclaims.

"You've been feeling tired and terrible lately, right?" Caroline asks.

They both shrug.

"Yeah, so?" Damon asks.

"I don't know. I think it's just us. Stefan, text your girlfriend and ask her. Let me know. I'll see you guys, some other time." Caroline says, with disappointment.

"Bye, Barbie!" Damon calls through the door as she closes it. She wonders what's wrong. She debates the morals of compelling a superintendent as she drives home. Maybe she can get Klaus to do it.


	33. Smiley Faces

Elijah spends his time thinking. By Wednesday, he feels sick again. He has no idea how his good health appeared and disappeared. He almost cancels his plans with Elena, but he doesn't want her to think he's canceling because he's embarrassed that she slept next to him. Or that something is wrong, even though it is, he can feel himself dying. He doesn't want her to think anything is wrong. He texts her to confirm their plans, and she replies with a yes and a smiley face. He doesn't know that she's also texting Bonnie, who is using the day off to try a larger spell.

He types a smiley face back and hopes he's well enough to entertain her the next day.


	34. 7AM

AN: I meant to write first thing but I feel like death but I'll be fine! I slept way too long however, today's goal is chapter forty four before I go to sleep!

She tries to pretend like she has no idea why she's nervous. It's not like she's done something to break his trust. They're still allies, who are going out for breakfast and then editing her novel for fun. Just allies, she tells herself as she slips on her shoes, but she stops when the doorbell is rung. Are they allies? She wonders. He's there, standing outside her door.

"It's open, Elijah!" She says, remembering to grab her purse that has a change of clothes, a charger for her phone, her laptop, and the flash drive that has her novel on it. Vampire hearing comes in handy, she thinks as she hears the door open and shut. She checks on Jeremy. Ric has to be at school for the day. No day off for him.

Jeremy is still in bed, and she closes his door, and walks down the stairs, the feeling of anticipation in her chest grows with each step. She pretends like she doesn't know why she's so flustered. It's just Elijah, looking way too good for 7AM, in a tailored suit.

"Elijah." She says.

"Elena." He drawls. He looks amused and she can't help but grin at him. They leave her house, she's careful to close the door quietly. Jeremy is sleeping, she tells him as she locks the door.


	35. Breakfast

AN: breakfast and angst, anyone?

"Elijah?" She asks, as he drives.

"Yes, Elena?" He asks back, wondering what she's about to ask.

"Are we still allies?" The words come out unfiltered.

"Well I would hope so." He says casually, and it takes her a second to recognize it as humor.

"Why do you ask?" His tone turns serious for a moment and it's odd to hear.

"It's just-weird." Elena says, trying to find the right words to describe it properly to him.

"After I knew vampires existed, there's always been a crisis or someone trying to kill me. Someone dying. But my life has been normal for a while and it's weird. Like the human parts of my life and the supernatural parts are staying separate. I feel like something's happening that I don't know about. I keep waiting for something to hit." She says, and it's true. But she knows why it's calm. He's slowly dying, and nothing can save him. She almost wants to cry, but it's like a game-he can't know that she knows and if she cries, it's over. So she takes a calm breath as he ponders it.

"Since we made our deal to be allies, I have considered us as such. I would like to continue to be in the future, as well." He tells her, as he parks with ease.

"Give me your word." She says, and it's half a joke and half needing to hear it.

"I give you my word, Elena. Let's go eat breakfast." He tells her, and she opens her door, feeling slightly relieved. She wishes she could ask Alaric about Jenna, how it felt-but he's at work and she's with Elijah and there's too much pain there, for both of them. So she smiles as the dying Original holds the door open for her, and pretends like it's all fine.


	36. Latin and Extended Weekends

Caroline sighs, another ancient book-at least this one is in English. At least, it's vaguely like English. So she reads through pages of something that sounds like it's the spell.

"Rebekah." She says, and Rebekah leans over.

"It's close, but not quite. I think there might be another version close to it. This means quick death in Latin here." Rebekah points.

"Elijah's death is being dragged out." Rebekah continues, sounding nonchalant, as if she doesn't care her brother is in pain every day and she has to convince Klaus each week to not stake him.

"We're getting closer." Caroline says, and the Original nods.

It's an hour before they speak again, Caroline wondering why people with terrible handwriting were allowed to write in grimoires.

"We're so close that it's irritating." Rebekah tells her. Caroline grins, an idea coming to mind.

"If you want me here tomorrow, you could compel the superintendent to give us a free day off tomorrow." Caroline suggests. Rebekah looks over at her and smiles.

'This is why I wanted you helping me." Rebekah mutters the compliment before pulling out her phone. Two phone calls later, Rebekah is gone for thirty minutes and back, all grins and satisfaction of breaking the rules. She's tried not to, for Elijah's sake, but rules are made to be broken, and she and Kol enjoy breaking them.

"Congratulations. You don't have school tomorrow." She tells Caroline with a smirk.


	37. Grins and Breakfast

AN: have some happy Elejah because my so messaged me from Germany and we haven't spoken in forever and I'm super happy about it I love them so much omg

After they've ordered, Elena's phone beeps. She opens the text to see that school has been canceled on Friday. She looks conflicted.

"What happened?" Elijah asks.

"Somehow, I think Caroline is responsible for canceling school tomorrow." She tells him, and explains the day before, when Caroline hadn't been feeling well. He frowns for a moment before he sees her grin.

"You know what this means?" She asks, excitement in her voice and bright eyes.

"That you're missing a day of vital education?" He asks sarcastically.

"My science test is Monday!" She's very excited, she would make use of the extra time, and he wonders what it would be like to go through the school system in this day and age. There seems to be something else on her mind.

"And that means we can edit tomorrow too." She says happily, and then it disappears.

"If you want to, I mean." She adds, as their food arrives.

"I would like that." He says. Her grin is worth it.


	38. Races

AN: sorry for the slight delay-my SO is in Prague and we got to talk and wow I love them so much oh my gods, so more happy Elejah ahead!

She asks if she can borrow the book of poetry from his room as they split the bill. He tells her she's always welcome to any of his books, and promises to show her the library the next day. She looks excited and the physical ache in his bones is gone-he feels the best with this lively human who always managed to amaze him. As they leave the restaurant, she challenges him to a no vampire speed race to the car. He loses by a second because she's so playful. He loses-to her amusement. He can't remember ever doing ridiculous things for fun in decades. Not with a human. Elena's flushed from the short burst of activity, her heart beat is healthy.

"Want a rematch?" She teases, when he looks over at her.

"Maybe." He says curtly.

"Come on Elijah. No one likes a sore loser." She jokes. This warrants a half glare. He purses his lips and she wants to kiss them but she keeps her lips to herself-

"I propose a race from the car to the front door, when we arrive." He decides.  
"You're on." She declares.


	39. Brothers and stupidity

She's bursting with energy from breakfast, he wonders if she has an unfair advantage, since she needs human food to live but he parks anyway, and tells her they'll start once they're both out of the car with their doors closed. She reminds him she'll get her bag after she wins. He rolls his eyes.

As their car doors shut, he counts. One. Two. Three. And he's running, in a suit and shoes not made for running and she's all wild hair and excited eyes and she yells something and he doesn't catch it and they both smack into Kol, who was leaving the house.

"Ow. I did not need to be in a brother and doppelganger collison sandwich today." He complains, as Elijah helps a red Elena get off his brother. He dusts the dirt off his jacket as Elena declares she won.

"You did not win that race." Elijah tells her, matter of factly.

"Yes, I did! Kol, which one of us hit you first?" Elena asks as she walks back to get her bag out of the car.

"I don't know!" She hears him shout.

"I think you two gave me a concussion!" He shouts as she grabs her bag and shuts the door. She doesn't hear Elijah's quiet laughter, but she does roll her eyes.

"Don't you Originals have amazing healing powers?" She teases. She moves the bag strap over her shoulder and helps Kol get out of the grass. She and Elijah walk up the steps, and Kol watches carefully. He heard him the other day, asking Finn what soulmates were supposed to feel like, how did you know, and a bunch of emotional crap he zoned out to. Was there someone other than Elena? Kol wondered as he left. He looks back at his brother opening the door for the girl and shakes his head mentally. No way.


	40. Laptop

AN: listening to pinkzebra's larger than life while writing this. I blame it for the cute happy fluff that results. Elejah chapter.

"What about a tie?" Elena asks as she walks in front of him, on the stairs. He was thinking the same thing, but goes,

"Hmmmm." He draws it out and she laughs at him.

"Either we tied or I outran you. I'm trying to help save your dignity here." She giggles and holds her bag close to her, and takes off running to his room.

"Catch me!" She challenges.

He's at the door by the time she gets there and she runs into him, and he keeps her from falling.

"Alright. I won one, you won one. You caught me." She says, and he releases her, letting her catch her breath. He's briefly reminded of Katherine, as Elena would call her-she always ran away from him. Elena runs toward him. Elena and Katherine are two different people , he reminds himself. And he should not be making comparisons.

"Like I mentioned a few days ago," He starts, and opens the door.

"Vampirism has its perks." He flashes her a grin and she rolls her eyes, before passing him and searching for the book of poetry she had started on. It's on his nightstand still, and she picks it up, victorious. She notices the outlet by his night stand so she gets her computer cord out, and plugs it in. She sits in her spot from Saturday, carefully taking off and setting her converse on the carpet. Elena continues to do things others wouldn't dare do-and she grins at him while she does.

"Sit by me. That is, if you won't fall asleep again." She says, with a straight face, taking her flash drive out of her bag. He takes off his shoes before she even sticks the flash drive into the USB port. He sits on his side, and she sets the laptop before them.

"So you know how to use this program, right?" Elena asks, and he nods in confirmation.

"Great. I'll be reading poetry." She tells him.


	41. Rebekah opens doors

"I'll pay you ten grand." Rebekah offers.

"Higher." Caroline tells her, continuing to work on German translations with her phone.

"I will pay for anything you want or need during college. Including the fees." Rebekah offers. Caroline's eyes widen. That opens so many doors-she has to take it.

"Give me your word." Caroline says abruptly. Rebekah laughs.

"I'm not Elijah. But I would like to do a pinkie promise. Or whatever they're called." Rebekah says and Caroline shows her how to do it.

"So I'll ask if you pinkie promise and you have to say that you pinkie promise, okay?" Caroline asks and Rebekah nods.

"Do you pinkie promise to pay for anything while I'm in college?" Caroline asks.

"I pinkie promise." Rebekah says, rolling the odd words around in her mouth. She unhooks her pinkie from Caroline's.

"Now call him and ask. He's home the most." Rebekah commands.

She dials the number as Rebekah recites it and takes a deep breath. It's just acting, she tells herself. You're good at acting, she tells herself and then she hears his voice.

"Hello, love." Be yourself or he'll know we're up to something, Rebekah told her.

"Who answers the phone like that?" She asks and he laughs.

"I do. Are you calling because you want to be my muse? Or do you have a motive?" He asks, his tone light.

"Do you know if Elena's there?" She asks casually.

"Now that you mention it, yes. Why do you ask?" His voice is tinged with suspicion.

"She isn't answering her phone, so I assumed she was with Elijah." Caroline says. Klaus wonders what she thinks is going on between the doppelganger and his brother because he can hear him talking to her about grammar. Then he catches it. Her heartbeat is faster than normal.

"Do you have a message?" He asks.

"Yes, actually, I do. Tell her the science test is on Monday and Klaus?" She asks. He pauses for a second before answering.

"Yes?"

"I'd love to come in for a portrait." The lie almost physically pains her, but she feels fine, much better than the day before.


	42. Human Heart

She's leaning against him, he notices. She likely doesn't notice it, but her right arm is pressed against his left as she doesn't move, it's not an issue, it's just odd to him. Usually people avoided touching him until they knew he wanted them to-Elena does whatever she wants.

She opens her mouth to ask him a question when his door opens suddenly and he worries for her heart, being around vampires has, mostly, not been kind to it. It stutters and he feels an irrational wave of worry. He almost lets out a bark of laughter. He's the one dying, after all.

"Elena." It's Klaus, and he doesn't know if she notices, but she's pressing her side into his and it's almost distracting-his brother is grinning like a lunatic.

"You have a science test on Monday." He says, and shuts the door.

"What?" Elena wonders aloud. Elijah thinks to what he heard-he had tuned it out. Perfect memories were often handy.

" _Do you know if Elena's there?" That's Caroline's voice._

" _Now that you mention it, yes. Why do you ask?" His half brother asks._

" _She isn't answering her phone, so I assumed she was with Elijah." Caroline says._

" _Do you have a message?" He asks._

" _Yes, actually, I do. Tell her the science test is on Monday and Klaus?" She asks. He pauses for a second before answering._

" _Yes?"_

" _I'd love to come in for a portrait."_

"Caroline called him to see if you were here. Apparently you didn't answer your phone-but I didn't hear it make any noise." Elijah tells her.

He was under the assumption Caroline disliked his brother. She's up to something. He tucks the information away for later, and Elena moves back to her side, a little bit.

"That's weird. Sorry." She says and he waves his hand.

They go back to sitting next to each other in comfortable silence. Elena quietly turns pages, and he's so engrossed in suggesting character growth and symbolism for her, that he doesn't recognize that she stopped turning pages a few minutes ago. Her head is leaned against his shoulder, and he begins to type only with his right hand, so he doesn't disturb her. After a few more chapters, he yawns-he needs more sleep than his siblings. He had always pictured his death being dramatic-protecting his family. A worthy cause. Not a spell of some kind.

He never imagined a slow, tiring death. He shuts the laptop, and moves it to his other nightstand. His head sinks back against the pillows.


	43. Sleeping

"What's Elijah up to?" Rebekah texts him, two hours after Caroline arranged to sit for a portrait, after school one day.

"He and the doppelganger are sleeping." He texts back-he's mildly irritated-texting means his paint is drying and he doesn't want that. He hears a sleeping human heartbeat and wonders why Elijah can't just tell her he's dying, please leave-he needs sleep. But then Elijah always did have problems with telling doppelgangers no. He wonders how he can fall for the same face three times.

"What kind of sleeping?" Rebekah texts him.

"The kind where one typically dreams, stop texting me." Klaus replies, and tries to fix his painting. The clouds are coming in too dark for his taste.


	44. Lethal

Elena is having a nice dream about bookstores and being a famous author when it's interrupted by a ringing noise.

It continues, and she blinks, awake. Elijah is next to her, his side against hers.

She stops the ringing phone-and prays they didn't sleep too long-she wants to tell Elijah that he needs to get a less comfortable bed. Only two hours gone. Not that bad-they missed lunch. Her stomach growls and she wonders if they have anything other than blood in their fridge.

She looks over, and Elijah is still sleeping, seeming to be undisturbed. It's an odd moment of realization. He's hundreds of years old, sleeping in a suit. He looks almost-human. Harmless.

But he's not and that's the kicker-he's lethal and he's sleeping against her. Her possible soulmate. He's lethal, she reminds herself although it's hard to remember, as she sees sleepy eyes open and blink a few times. He sees her watching him. He moves away the same time she does, but she moves off his bed.

"You fall asleep easily." She tells him, searching for her laptop while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She misses his amused grin. He feels great, as he watches her temporarily give up her search to stretch. He hands it to her, her laptop off his night stand.

"Where's the library?" She asks, running her fingers through her messy hair.


	45. Pizza

"Are you sure you don't want lunch first?" He asks, and he can hear her growling stomach-it reminds him that he needs blood.

"Actually I-" Her sentence is interrupted as Kol announces he brought pizza home-Elijah can hear Klaus growl in annoyance as Kol keeps shouting. He messes up a stoke and then, even Elena can hear Klaus's rage.

"Well, if Kol isn't going to kill me over it, I might have some pizza." She says and opens the door to see Klaus chasing Kol-

"You're welcome to pizza, doppelganger." Kol tells her and Klaus growls and they disappear. Elena carefully makes her way down the stairs as Elijah closes his door and joins her.

"Stop." He tells her, moving her behind him. Kol and Klaus race up the stairs, and Klaus is holding Kol by his throat. Kol hangs over the railing.

"Niklaus." Elijah says tiredly and they hear Klaus splutter.

"Elijah." He complains, his grip tightening on Kol's throat.

"If you drop him from there, you'll have to clean up blood. If you two are going to fight, please refrain from doing it inside the house." He tells them, and Elena wonders how he can be so callous for a moment. He starts walking, and Elena follows.

"You ruined my painting!" They hear Klaus shout.

"It was already ruined when you started it!" Kol retorts loudly.

"Are you going to stop them?" He hears Elena ask.

"They'll just fight later. While I love my family, I know them. It's better they do it now than let it fester. Once the fight is over, it'll be fine." He assures her as they walk to the kitchen. Or wherever Kol set the pizzas down, she thinks as she remembers that she's never been in their kitchen. Or anywhere that she didn't go during the ball.

"Not the statue!" They hear Klaus yell and Elijah opens a door to her right- and there's a pristine looking kitchen. Dark wood and brand new appliances that Elena is sure have either never been used, or rarely used.

There's three pizza boxes on the counter, and she asks him where the plates are. Elijah hands her one as soon as she finishes her sentence.

She sets it next to the boxes, and opens the curtains on the single window in the room, by the island. She stands by it and watches.

She sees Kol flying into the dirt. She opens a box and takes a piece of cheese pizza, as Elijah opens the fridge to get blood. She eats, and watches with curiosity, the two brothers in the yard are ancient-and it's interesting to watch them fight. She tries not to blink, or she misses something. Klaus's style seems to be throwing things, including Kol, with punching thrown in. Kol seems to like evading and kicking and she looks around for Elijah for a second before shrugging.

He's draining a blood bag in record time, out of sight.

She looks away from the window, and he's standing next to her.

"Library?" He asks, and she nods.


	46. Storm

AN: this is a premature apology-I'm writing as much as possible and posting today (Friday) until tonight because I won't have computer access to upload my writing until Sunday night. Sorry! Also sorry that the Pizza chapter was a little weird-I just don't get it when writers forget to feed people, you know? Anyway, off to the library for now! Thanks for reading!

He has her bag, cord and everything before she can even say anything, vampire speed, she thinks. She takes it from him, and notices the poetry book is in as well. She wonders how often the dishwasher gets used, how long it will be until the plate she had used will get cleaned.

Her slightly damp hands are now free of grease and ready for the library and editing- she follows Elijah and they stop hearing Klaus and Kol.

"Is Kol going to be okay?"She asks, and he's touched by her concern for his brother.

"He's fine. Healing, by the sound of it." He tells her offhandedly.

"Yes he is." Klaus appears in front of them and she moves closer to Elijah. Klaus still creeps her out-he did kill her after all. The elixir

Elijah had worked-but they had never put their issues to rest. Elena wonders if Klaus even cares.

"If you'll excuse us, Niklaus." Elijah says, Klaus moves out of the center of the hallway.

He leads her to the library, opening a door and then there's books floor to ceiling and Elena is in sensory overload. It's so beautiful, Klaus must like dark wood, because it's what all of the furniture and shelves are made of. There are old looking Persian rugs under the chairs, and couches spread across the vast room. She doesn't see Elijah looking at her, she looks like he just gave her the stars or something equally as valuable.

"This is more books than the Mystic Falls library." She says, and she wishes for a second, that she was a vampire. She would have forever to read every book. She carefully walks over to a book with a title that looks like English. She carefully opens the aged book to see another language. Not English.

"What language is this?" She asks curiously. He's next to her in a flash.

"Latin." He says musingly. He hasn't actively worked on his Latin since he came to Mystic Falls, he decides he'll work on it later.

"You can read Latin?" Elena looks amazed.

"It was the language of science and scholars for a long time." He says and she wonders just what his eyes have seen.

"Can you speak it?" She asks and he grins at her.

"Salve. Tu es pulcher et Elijah est nomen mihi." He says, the Latin rolling off his tongue. It's basic but it will do for his purposes. She grins at him and sits on the nearest couch. She opens her laptop and starts to look at his revisions before she asks what he said.

"I said, hello, my name is Elijah." It's the truth, part of it. She nods, satisfied, and he sits in the armchair next to her.

"Why'd you change this?" She asks, and reads a paragraph aloud.

"Character building." He says and a look of comprehension dawns on her face.

"Thank you." She says, and they're working seamlessly for three chapters until they hear Klaus swearing outside the door and Elena's phone rings.

"Caroline?" Elena answers the phone.

"You're with Elijah right? Are you going over there tomorrow?" Caroline's voice is urgent.

"Yeah, I was planning on it, why?" Elena asks.

"I need to grab a few things for Rebekah, I'll pack you a bag for a few days, and food-do you need food? Rebekah says they don't have food at their house and I mean-"

"Caroline." Elena says calmly.

"Slow down." She continues.

"Did you and Elijah not hear? There's a huge snowstorm coming in an hour, I'll be by as soon as possible-it's predicted to snow people in."

Elena mouths what the hell and then answers,

"Thank you so much Caroline. We've been reading, not watching the news." They both hear Caroline mutter that of course she is, she'll be there ASAP and goodbye.

"Bye." Elena says before the call ends.

"I could drive you home in an hour." He tells her and she looks conflicted.

"But I want to see you tomorrow." She says. Of course, for her book.

"I mean, if I'm not being rude, I didn't even ask if you wanted me here or if it was oka-"

"Elena. I don't mind you being here." He interrupts. She turns slightly red, and stares at him for a second before saying,

"Okay."

She waits a moment, and he gets up to get the book in Latin-the Aeneid, she sees.

She texts Caroline to remember her bear and hairbrush and all of her stuff.

Caroline replies that she does, and she packed food, and left a note for Alaric and Jeremy, who are going to be home soon, Caroline informs her.

Elena wonders when Caroline started paying attention to the weather, and Elijah sets down his book.

"Caroline is in the driveway." He informs her and she starts running.

Klaus is at the door to her irritation, and he tries to chat with Caroline, but she thrusts Elena's duffle bag to her and she's up the stairs before Elena can blink and she's down the stairs and in her car before she can exhale.

"She's grabbing things for Rebekah." Elena explains as they hear Caroline driving away.

"Why?" Klaus asks, and she isn't surprised that the all powerful hybrid doesn't check the weather either.

"There's a storm coming." Elijah tells him.


	47. Bookshelves

AN: For the curious readers, Elijah Said, "Hello. You are beautiful and my name is Elijah." That's how we'd rearrange in English, technically it's "Hello, you are beautiful and Elijah is my name." But anyway-the chapter!

"Do you think school will be canceled tomorrow?" Klaus asks.

"Caroline already canceled school, this morning before we even-" Elena trails off.

"It's a freak storm, apparently." Elijah tells him. Klaus looks a bit suspicious, but mutters for them to resume whatever the hell they're doing and not to disturb him. He's gone and Elena reminds herself that Originals are even faster than normal vampires. Elijah says that he'll show her to one of the guest rooms, so she can put her bag there. She just agrees, and follows him once more up the impressive staircase. The room that he picks is next to his, he tells her there are others farther away, but figured she wanted the farthest room away from Klaus. His brother still unnerves her, he can tell. She always moves behind him or closer to him, and it's odd to realize he has Elena Gilbert's _trust._ She trusts him to protect her, she trusts him to be noble and brave and however else she labels him as in her mind. He wonders if she would still trust him after hearing all of his misdeeds and mistakes over the centuries , but she's grinning at him, like the pretty bedroom that's almost a copy of his was his design.

"This bedroom is like yours. I like yours." She tells him, it comes out wrong, she means to imply the colors and how the room works and he just replies,

"The bookshelves are your favorite part of mine, no doubt?" It sounds like a question but she knows that he thinks that's the answer. You, she wants to say. You're my favorite part of your room. But she doesn't and she wants so badly to kiss him and find out if he's her soulmate so she can heal him and have everything work out but he looks like he's thousands of miles and hundreds of years away. She says his name but he doesn't react, and she wonders if vampires dream. She wonders if the Originals dream, and what goes on in Elijah's head.

She repeats his name and he doesn't respond, so she opens her bag to see if Caroline packed her bear. He doesn't move, and she sighs in relief, it's right on top. She puts the bag on the ground by the bed and zips it up.

He wants to ask how much she trusts him and if she always sleeps with her stuffed bear. He wants to ask her favorite color and stupid questions and deep questions and why her book is focused on non vampires but still supernatural creatures and their relationships with humans. But he doesn't.

"Are you up for more editing?" She asks lightly, hoping he'll respond, it's odd to see him so still.

"Of course." He says, automatically. She looks at him with concern, but they walk back down to the library again.

"Where are Kol and Finn?" She asks him, hoping to keep his mind with her.

"Kol is attempting, unsuccessfully, I might add, to teach Finn how to play video games." He tells her. He looks amused and she's happy-he has his family after so long.

"That sounds fun." She tells him.

He raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not exactly a gamer, I play against Jeremy, but he always wins at it. Gaming can be fun." She tells Elijah, but she has a hard time picturing Elijah playing an RPG or video game. She resists the urge to giggle, and they return to her favorite room of the entire house.

They keep working, and at one point he joins her on the couch, and then he continues his reading of Aeneid. She asks him if it's any good.

"It's excellent. They have English versions as well." He tells her, and she looks surprised.

"Say something else in Latin." She requests.

"Ego sum fessus." He tells her honestly. She looks intrigued.

"How many languages can you speak?" She asks, and he has to think about it.

"Quite a few." He tells her and she wonders what she would do for a thousand years as a vampire, other than reading and trying not to kill people. She wonders how hard dealing with blood lust is, but she doesn't ask-she assumes it it's rude.


	48. News

"I just got a call from Kol." Rebekah informs Caroline, as she walks into her room where the younger vampire is watching the fallen snow through her window.

"Any info?" Caroline asks, moving so Rebekah can sit next to her again.

"He wonders if the spell is supposed to be fast acting, but because Elijah is an Original, he has the ability to fight it."

"So it takes longer to try and kill him. But wait, I thought magic killed everything, regardless of kind." Caroline says and Rebekah nods.

"And we have another theory now." Rebekah tells her, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"What?" Caroline asks.

"If the spell is actually _killing_ Elijah, it narrows down the ingredients list."

"Wait, I thought you had to be physically staked? And there's a possibility it isn't actually killing him?" Caroline asks. Rebekah nods.

"We think that they're trying to weaken Elijah and then stake him. Like Klaus staked our father." Rebekah says.

"So that narrows down ten more books?" Caroline asks, thinking of the stack that they had thought was unlikely, it was all beneficial spells.

"Yes, it does." Rebekah says, excitedly. They both hear Caroline's phone ring.


	49. Snow

Elijah has asked her several questions about her novel, and when he asks about a possible sequel, she did leave it on a cliffhanger after all, she laughs. He's never seen her laugh so hard.

"Oh no. This one took forever." She laughs.

"To write a series I'd need like a century." She jokes, and laughs. He doesn't see how slowly she wrote it, especially with the supernatural presence in her life and school-it'd take ages. He doesn't suggest turning into a vampire, she still wants to stay human, as far as he knows. He wonders if that will change.

"Oh my god-Elijah look outside." She says, interrupting his internal reverie. He looks over, and sees a foot of snow already on the ground. Snow is coming down in thick, fluffy flakes. She almost wants to do snow angels, but she doesn't have a winter coat there and it's coming down really quickly.

"Hundreds of years, and the weather never ceases to amaze me." She hears him say as they watch the snow. She doesn't say anything, just sits by the couch closest to the window. He sits next to her, wordlessly.


	50. Tired

AN: Wow! I did not think this would grow to be so big, I had originally planned ten chapters and done! Again, I'm gone from my computer (not by my choice, I might add-and won't be updating for two days. I will be writing though! Now the chapter:

She's in her pajamas and a sweater-apparently the Originals don't feel cold or Klaus would have turned up the heat already. She's looking at books in the library, carefully looking at each title.

"These look interesting. Why do you have so many books from one author?" Elena asks. He walks over to her, her tired mind appreciates the human speed.

"I wrote those." He tells her, casually.

"Wow." She says, carefully picking one of his books on war.

"When you have centuries, you tend to try everything." He tells her, returning to her laptop, typing his last suggestions for the first half of her novel.

She sits by him again, and asks if he can feel cold, because apparently Klaus doesn't. He looks at her for a moment, and is gone, and back as she blinks twice.

"I adjusted the temperature for you." He tells her and she thanks him, tucking her sock clad feet under her as she opens his book.

"Elijah, this is amazing." She tells him, not looking up.

"Did you expect anything less from me?" He quips.

"No, but Elijah this is great-why are you wasting time with my book?" She asks.

"There are different kinds of writing, Elena. My books are factual. Yours is emotional, and human. It's a fresh and new. You show promise. Half of those books were out of boredom-yours is out of passion and that makes yours better." He tells her, hoping she'll understand.

She looks at him like she's never seen him before, the only thing he could compare it to is their first meeting, but she's not afraid of him. He spends a few seconds trying to determine the emotion on her face and then she grins at him, a wide, happy grin.

It's wonder. He realizes. He watches her read his book out of the corner of his eye for half an hour before she yawns, and mentions something about being tired. He closes his laptop, and she grabs the poetry book she finished reading an hour ago, and he closes her laptop. He follows her up the stairs, and she goes into his room instead of hers. She sits on his couch, trying to remember which shelf the book came from before she closes her eyes. Elijah catches the book before her hand drops it. He returns it to its proper place, and takes a pillow off his bed. He gently lifts her head, and slides the pillow under it. He puts a blanket over the quietly sleeping human. He wonders if she dreams, wonders what she dreams about, but thinking of her dreams make his eyes want to close, and he's asleep before his head hits the pillow.


	51. Three or four feet

AN: I'll update Just Between Us Two on Sunday, I have ten minutes before I leave my computer, so I wrote this really wuick, I won't be with tech for the weekend, sorry!

She wakes up to ringing-her phone, she recognizes. She looks at the call before hitting accept.

"Elena?" It's Ric, concerned voice and all.

"Yeah?" She asks, sleepily.

"You're with the Originals?" He asks.

"Yeah." She tells him, resisting the urge to stretch, and wondering who put a blanket on her. Ric is silent for a few moments, and she feels bad for her guardian.

"I'll come home as soon as the roads are clear." She promises, wrapping the blanket around herself as she looks out the window in Elijah's room. On second thought-she doesn't see the bushes in the backyard.

"Just come back home when it's safe." Alaric says, and she nods, glancing at a sleeping Elijah. His hair is slightly messy from sleep, and he has an inhumanly long time before he breathes and exhales.

"I will." She says, looking at Elijah still, his eyes opening.

"Bye, Ric. Say hi to Jeremy for me. I'm fine." She assures her guardian. They say goodbyes, she hears Jeremy challenge Ric to a snowball fight before they say their goodbyes. She looks at her other messages.

Elijah is sitting up, and looking at her.

"According to Caroline, we got about three or four feet of snow." She tells him and he looks surprised.


	52. Mothers, Snow and Bulgarian

AN: I think the format for this might come out odd, I apologize, hello lovely readers I am home again and ready to write!

"In case you were wondering, Elena is fine." Caroline says and Rebekah retorts, "I wasn't. How's Elijah?" She doesn't like the doppelganger's attachment to her brother. He's been hurt by the other two doppelgangers, what makes this one any different? Nothing, Rebekah thinks.

Only this one cares, and while two brothers both like her, she isn't interested in either of them. Rebekah's thoughts are interrupted by Caroline's door opening.

It's Sheriff Forbes, who has been nothing but kind to her. She tells them to be good and thanks them for shoveling the driveway, Rebekah had never done it before-and that she had called a snowplowing company to clear the roads. She was going to the station in a few minutes and wanted to say goodbye. Caroline hugs her and Rebekah closes her eyes for a second, trying to remember the last time her mother had hugged her.

She blinks and Caroline's mother is gone, Caroline is translating Bulgarian with her phone.


	53. Snowballs

AN: I'm trying something new since most of you seem to enjoy longer chapters. Also let's just pretend Finn doesn't hate being a vampire so strongly because I like a whole family and they deserve that happiness. Also I apologize for weird formatting

She tells Caroline that Elijah is fine, looking at him intently for a moment, just to make sure.

"Rebekah asked Caroline to ask me if you were fine." She explains, the blanket still around her shoulders. He looks surprised that she would do that, doing so might make Elena wonder why his sister asked-

Her phone beeps again and she reads the text out loud.

"Good. Rebekah says he's her favorite brother." Elijah grins and the door opens.

"Rebekah's favorite brother is here." Kol announces. He looks at the blanket covered Elena and then to Elijah. So hopeful, but if Elena was his soulmate, they hadn't kissed yet. His favorite brother still looks terrible.

"Hey Elena, if you want to have fun today, join me in the backyard in an hour." He invites and notices Elijah's look of disapproval.

"I might join you." She says, and her eyes flicker to Elijah and Kol wonders if she and his brother need glasses. He's never seen two people more blind than them in his existence.

"Excellent." He grins and disappears. Elena drops the blanket onto the couch and tells him she'll see him in a few minutes. He nods, and she leaves his room. As far as she knows, the roads are still covered in snow. She might as well have some fun, she decides.

Elena's got wet hair that's drying when he sees her next. She smells like the mixture of products Rebekah wanted in all of the guest bathrooms and herself.

"Your hair is wet." She remarks, and Kol walks into the hallway. It's odd, and she wonders what he looked like when they were human. She can't imagine Elijah with longer hair.

As they talk of snow, Elijah realizes that they want to include Finn, and she assures his brother she'll be out in a few minutes. She disappears into her room, and comes back out with winter clothes Caroline must have packed for her. She has a scarf on, and then she puts on a hat.

"Sorry, but I've never had a snowball fights with teams and Kol said he won't use vampire strength." Elena says as she carefully makes her way down the stairs. She slips her gloves on and zips up her coat. Kol is waiting for her at the end of the stairs and he loops his elbow in hers and leads her outside.

Elijah pretends to be on his phone, but watches Finn and Elena team up against Kol. She says something that makes Finn laugh.

"Come on, Elijah! Help me out, I'm losing out here!" He hears a few minutes later.

He debates it, and leaves his phone on the kitchen table.

"I've got Elijah on my side now, you two are going down!" Kol exclaims as said brother stands next to him.

"No way!" Elena retorts, throwing a snowball directly into his chest. Finn compliments her aim as he aims at Elijah. It's fun because none of them like losing, especially Elijah. They get very competitive very quickly. Elena throws a snowball but Kol cheats and uses inhuman speed to avoid it. The snowball hits Elijah in the face, and she turns red with embarrassment. The war wages on until Elena gets too cold, and she and Finn claim victory. She high fives him, something he still seems mystified about. She enters the house first and carefully takes off her shoes and snow covered articles of clothing and Kol puts them by the fire. He even has a rug down for the action, Elijah notes. He takes off his suit jacket, and Finn is off, to his room to change he assumes.

Elena's stomach growls and Kol opens the fridge and gets pizza out in record time. Elena stands by the sink, and Elijah stands next to her. Kol wonders if they could be any more obvious. His brother is in Elena's space and she doesn't seem to mind at all, and he asks if she wants her pizza microwaved. She nods, and gives him a number to enter. She turns around to look at Elijah and blinks. She's never seen him without a suit jacket.

And there's a large piece of snow on his hair. He looks so different, just a few simple changes to his appearance makes her wonder what changes he's made over the centuries.

"You have a piece of snow in your hair." She tells him, and hears the microwave make noise. He runs his fingers over part of it, but there's a chunk left.

"There's some still left." She tells him and he moves his hands to his sides after he fails at finding it.

"I'll get it." She tells him, and her fingers carefully brush the ice out of his hair. It lands in the sink and Kol is hoping they'll kiss, he's sure Elena likes his brother as he likes her. He hasn't seen Elijah's face so soft and human looking in ages, and then the microwave makes noise again, demanding he take Elena's pizza out, and the spell is broken. Elena gets her pizza out of the microwave and thanks Kol.


	54. Mind

AN: I am totally aware that she's seen him without his suit jacket, the time he does his double heart removal thing in that apartment but anyway, it's fanfic. Also, I know he'd know where a giant piece of ice would be in his hair, I just wanted to write a long, fluffy chapter before the angst of chapter fifty five.

She eats pizza and talks to Elijah, Kol is off playing video games. She almost thought he was choking, how quickly he ate his pizza. Elijah assured her he was fine, and that they can't die from choking. She looks at him, and thinks of how peaceful he looked when he was asleep. Almost human, although she doubts he looked like that when his family was human. It's not a big deal that she fell asleep next to Elijah. They're allies and it's totally normal to have that level of trust in relationship like theirs, she tells herself.

She's fallen asleep by Elijah a few times. She's fallen asleep next to Bonnie and Caroline before. Dozens of times. No big deal. Since Elijah is sick and she's probably not his soulmate, he probably needs a lot of sleep, she reasons. It's not a big deal. As she's lost in her mind, Elijah wonders where she is mentally. She moves mechanically, he notices. She washes her hands and puts her plate in the dishwasher like she's on autopilot. The room is colder, it's probably his brother and his latest painting, and he sees Elena shiver.

"You should get out of those clothes." He tells her, and she almost looks surprised, she blinks and nods in agreement. She's cold and the snow that she missed is melting.


	55. Socks are not a good idea

AN: Okay, so I apologize for making Elena a damsel in distress here, but it's been like this since I outlined this story like months ago

She changes, and knocks on Elijah's door to see if he's there. No answer-so she carefully opens the door. The room is empty. She texts him that she'll meet him in the library in a few minutes. She's walking down the stairs, holding onto the railing since she's wearing socks. She sees Finn and Kol talking and Klaus appears as she takes her first step onto the floor. They're all wearing shoes, she notices, until she feels her hip crash into a table, and she hears the breaking of a vase..

"Oh fuck." She hears Kol say, and her vision starts to fade in and out.

"Elena." It's a familiar voice and it mentions blood. Well, vampire blood is the only thing that can save her at this point, so her lips close around a wrist and she tries to pull back. The blood tastes like dirt with a hint of rust.

"It's not working." She hears the voice say and there's something pressed against her mouth, another wrist. Warmer. She blinks hazily as Kol and Klaus swear and someone, Elijah is touching her hair and she wonders distantly if there's blood in it. The new blood tastes like copper, like warm liquid pennies and when there isn't any more, she blinks, and her vision goes black.


	56. Sanguis

AN: Elena is alive, don't panic, and this is not the end. Also sorry for the cliffhanger for a few hours!

"Yes, Bekah. His blood. Yes. I saw it with my own eyes-it didn't work. No. Finn did. I don't know. Bye." She recognizes the voice, it's Klaus. Bekah. It takes her a moment to realize that he was talking to Rebekah on the phone.

"Elena?" She hears Elijah ask. She wants to sleep, she can feel things healing and it's disturbing. But she doesn't want him to worry, so she attempts to blink. It takes a few tries to see Elijah, to her right.

"Elijah?" She asks, her voice rough.

"Yes?" He asks.

"Are you okay?" She asks. Klaus has to bite his tongue from laughing, and Kol is barely keeping it together. She almost died and she asks Elijah how he's doing.

"That was your blood, wasn't it?" She asks, and their eyes widen. She remembers. It's not funny, then.

"Yes. It was."

"Something's wrong. Your blood tasted like dirt. No offense, Elijah." She says, groggily. No one says anything.

"Are you sick? Is that a thing that can happen?" She asks. He takes a deep breath he doesn't need.

"I'm dying, Elena." He tells her and she blinks at him.

"What?" She says, her head still spinning. She knows, and she almost wants to tell that she's known, she knows and she has for a while now, but she just stares at him. She didn't think he'd ever admit it, but after knowing something was wrong, he couldn't smooth it over.

"You know." He tells her. And until that moment, she could pretend that it was just a joke, or that it wasn't that serious, but he's looking like he's already given up and she can't help the tears that leak out of her eyes. His brothers don't judge, they went through a whirlwind of emotions when they learned, and Elena is only human after all.


	57. Inertia and beds

AN: Once I get at a good stopping point tonight, I will work on editing and uploading Just Between Us, I have a few more chapters, the end is all written out. Sorry for the angst.

Elijah is left, sitting next to her on the bed.

It's his bed, she realizes, and she apologizes for getting blood on the pillow and she's sorry that he's dying and was he ever going to tell her?

She understands the need for privacy and strength, but the thought occurs that perhaps, the day she would have discovered it would have been when he had passed. She requests that he stays there, and she goes to wash the blood out of her hair. She tries to remember what happened, Elijah had fed her his blood, and it hadn't worked. He was too sick. Finn offered her his wrist after their realization, and she had passed out somewhere before waking up in Elijah's bed. The water in the sink runs a watery orange-yellow. Her head is healed, but still tender to the touch for a while, and she has to be careful. She had no idea blood made hair so stiff. If she was anyone else, she'd be dead.

Actually, she thinks, if she were anyone else, she wouldn't have so many near death experiences. Klaus had actually killed her. Not many others could save they died and came back. But there she is, cleaning out blood in her hair in a way too fancy sink. It seems like ages before it's all out, and when her hair is clean, and partially dried and brushed, she walks back to where she knows Elijah is. The bloody pillow case is missing, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say she never got blood on it. But the pillow looks moved, someone put a new pillowcase on it. Elijah is in the same position he was in when she left.

There's so many things she wants to say, too many things, and so she just sits next to him, and he offers her the blanket she had been wrapped in, just a few hours ago. She covers heself with it, but it's big enough that the excess is on his legs and her other side. She puts her head on his shoulder, and wonders how everything got fucked up so quickly. She can still taste blood in her mouth. She knows from experience, that the taste doesn't fade for a while. Her mouth tastes like dirty pennies.

She doesn't know how long they stay like that, only that Elijah relaxes, and she moves closer. She wants to say everything, but she says nothing. He offers her his hankerchief when her stupid eyes start leaking again, and she wants to ask if she can dedicate her book to him, if he dies. She wouldn't have gotten nearly as far without him. She wonders if he knows one of the characters is based off him, he's Elijah-he has to know. She wonders how many things he knows but doesn't mention.

She sits next to him for what seems like forever, but he doesn't have forever anymore, and she never has.

Eventually, reality comes, and knocks on the door. Caroline has come to pick her up, Klaus had texted her, apparently. Elena moves in a daze, Caroline packs everything before she can move, and she says goodbye to Elijah. She wants to hug him, and they're kind of close, Elena thinks-but not that close. She almost wants to stay, but Caroline dutifully reminds her of Ric and Jeremy, and the mountains of homework they have, and the science test on Monday. So she leaves, and Caroline sits next to her in her living room and helps her fill out useless sheets that won't matter in a few months, and Elijah coud be dead by then, and it's all setting in. They study and study and study even more, as if Caroline is trying to help her forget what almost dying feels like. She can't. It's happened so many times that the feelings and the almost last thoughts are burned into her brain, seared into her memory banks and muscles.

There's a lapse in time, and she realizes she has spaced out when worksheets are next to hers to copy, and she blinks.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asks, her tone even.

"Actually, no. But I'll live." She says and Caroline nods, because she's been there too, but she doesn't know how to comfort Elena in this situation. It makes her feel a bit useless, she, Elena and Bonnie have always known how to cheer each other up. And this time, she can't.


	58. Slow

AN: I hope you guys enjoyed that long chapter, I swear I have like 17 more chapters at best left, if that's I do the short pov chapters and all. Woo!

She has things to do at home, she tells herself. She can't just go talk to Elijah. So she tries to keep her mind off it. Everything is falling apart and the only one who she confides the extent to is her diary.

She does laundry and fakes smiles, of course things are fine. Except they're not. She avoids doing anything risky, she does not want to wake up as a vampire. She barely has time to keep it together, let alone turn into another level of supernatural. So she makes the weekend pass, she recites her science notes, she'll ace the test on Monday. It's a slow, slow weekend.


	59. Not Friends

They're down to a few stacks of books. They're close. The Salvatores report that they feel fine, and so does Katherine. Caroline does too, but there's a voice in the back of her mind that says that the feeling of being fine is temporary. She tells the voice to shut up, she doesn't have to deal with that crap. Rebekah asks her what Elena thinks of her brother.

"I don't know." Caroline says. It's not a lie, her attraction to Elijah wasn't a big surprise, the Originals make up an attractive family-but the mention of love was.

"What are her feelings towards him?" Rebekah asks bluntly.

"She likes him. He doesn't like her back." Caroline tells her, the words aren't lies, not really and they're not friends. She and Rebekah are allies. The word reminds her that Elena is in love with her not a friend's dying brother and Caroline can tell several languages apart by now. Rebekah plans to ask Elijah when she gets home how he feels about the doppelganger.

She asks Rebekah how many languages she can speak and the Original just laughs.

"Too many to want to count." Rebekah tells her, and rolls her eyes at the text she's translating. She wishes she could just find the damn spell already. She has magical connections, she just needs to find the damn spell. She sighs, and they keep looking.


	60. Week

AN: Oh my gods this is like the longest fic I've ever typed omg

Sunday is boring, and Elena and Bonnie have a huge math test on Friday. So they vow to study after school together, each day. Elena's schedule is so full that she knows when she has to go to sleep and get up. She texts Elijah, and he replies, but he doesn't tell her that he feels tired. He doesn't tell her that it's getting a little bit worse each day. They pretend like he's fine, but the future is an off limits topic. They stick day to day in their conversations. She tells him that she aced her science test and he in turn tells her of how odd it was to have Caroline over for a portrait, and how Kol kept trying to mess with Klaus's concentration. The idea makes her laugh, and she tells him so.

He smiles at that, and he bids her a goodnight each night. He misses her, although only a small part of him will admit it to himself. Each night is interesting, living with his siblings. On Monday night, Rebekah sits next to him and asks if he fancies Elena Gilbert. He denies it, and he misses her look of dissappointment. Tuesday night, Kol sits on him while he's sleeping and tries to get information out of him. He doesn't realize Elijah still has a good level of strength, and Kol gets pushed onto the floor in one graceful movement. He just grins, and Elijah realizes it was a trick. He wanted to test his strength. When Wednesday night rolls around, he hears Niklaus rant about Caroline, and after a few minutes, he carefully evens out his breathing to that when he is sleeping, and he hears him leave the room. Caroline is a lovely girl, and he may be old, but even he can tell Caroline is not interested his brother.

Thursday, Finn sits in one of his chairs, and they both read in comfortable silence. Friday, they all visit him before they go, off to do their own things. He doesn't mind, his dreams are always interesting, and he is always tired.


	61. Tired and angry and sick

Another week passes, Elena is tired of tests, she wants to see Elijah, but she has tests to study for each night and she, Bonnie and Caroline have a sleepover they've been planning for ages. She stills texts him, but she has no idea how he looks. Or how he feels. They don't talk about him being sick, and Friday night, an hour before Caroline and Bonnie are supposed to be at her house-she wants to break something. So she goes to Ric's occasionally used apartment, and that's where Caroline finds her, an hour and a half later. She's all roughed up, bruises already forming by her elbows and knees-Elena will see them in the morning. Her knuckles are angry looking and a few of them have broken skin. She's red, and angry, and tense and tired. Caroline notes the recently used punching bag and the weights. Caroline doesn't know what to say, so she just tells Bonnie she was right and takes Elena home. Elena's mad for two days. She doesn't text Elijah, and he gets concerned. She's the one who starts their conversations, he asks Rebekah for Caroline's number. Caroline tells him Elena needs to be left alone. For what reason, she swears, she doesn't know. At least, not that night.

When they're staying up way too early in the morning, Elena tells Caroline why she's mad. Her filters are off when she's this tired, and she tells Caroline that she's mad that Elijah just gave up. Caroline nods, she feels like shit and Stefan says it's just being sleep deprived, but she thinks he's full of it. He looks like she does, tired. She wants to go home and sleep for twelve hours, but she doesn't. She just lays next to Bonnie and Elena, and she passes out when Elena has stopped talking. It's hard to get up the next morning, for both of them.


	62. Friends and Threats and Broken Bones

AN: I apologize for the single chapters for seven days but I didn't think you guys wanted 14 more chapters for each day. Also I feel like none of you will like this thing that will happen in this chapter. Also I apologize, but I'm not overly fond of Katherine, and I'm sorry if she seems ooc. Also I am not updating for a few hours, sorry!

She texts him that Sunday, and he's relieved. She tells him she has one free day in her schedule that week, and it's Friday, if he wants to just read together or something?

He agrees, and wants to see her as soon as possible.

"He doesn't look like himself." Rebekah explains to Caroline, one day after school. While Elijah doesn't look like himself, Caroline doesn't _feel_ like herself. It's a long day at school, and Rebekah notices her tiredness. She chalks it up to running the young vampire ragged. She lets Caroline nap while she reads, they have just a few more books to look through. It happens for three days, and about to happen again when the doorbell is rung. Caroline and Rebekah look up from their books, and Caroline moves answer the door. Katherine.

"What do you know that I don't?" She asks. She doesn't look as impeccable as she usually does, and a few of her curls are out of place. She looks worn down. Caroline stays wisely in her house.

"Several things." Caroline quips.

"Cut the crap." Katherine demands, and Caroline almost laughs.

"Or maybe, I'll go after your mother." She flashes her fangs for a second and Caroline feels an odd sensation of being moved a few inches and then Rebekah is there. Caroline grins. Rebekah never put up with anyone's shit. She has her hand in Katherine's and it would almost look friendly to any passerby except for Katherine's face of agony. With a few seconds and movements, she's broken every bone in Katherine's left hand and arm. She just grins, squeezing the other vampire's hand.

"I thought after running from my family for hundreds of years that you might be somewhat intelligent." She says casually, and her hand ghosts Katherine's elbow.

"Apparently not." She says, and there's a cracking noise that makes Caroline wince.

"Have you ever seen a broken elbow before, Caroline?" She asks, looking back at her research partner. Caroline shakes her head no.

"You do not come into a town full of Originals, threaten one of our friends and get off easily. Perhaps I'll deliver you to Nik." She threatens, while wearing a smile that would win a beauty pagent. Katherine is silent, and Rebekah compels her to leave and never return to Mystic Falls. It wouldn't do to have her possibly see Elijah, and they were all busy, none of them wanted a torture session to squeeze in.

"We're friends?" She hears Caroline ask.

"Who else would help me with so much research?" Rebekah asks.

"Someone who's terrified you'll kill them." Caroline suggests, as they watch Katherine walk down her street. She hadn't smelled vervain on her, so she had to have been compelled-Caroline thought.

"Ah. True. You don't need to worry about that. I like having you around. I can see why Nik likes you." She tells the younger vampire.

Caroline smiles at her.


	63. School on Friday

AN: Think about Finn and what happened when he died in the show. Remember? Also I twisted stuff around to make it fit, this isn't how it would work in canon. Only a few more chapters until the make or break point! Woo!

When Friday rolls around, Caroline feels like absolute shit. She can't remember ever feeling this bad as a human. She texts Stefan, and he feels like shit too. He offers to drive her to school. He says he'll go to school if she does, and if they feel too bad, he'll drive her home and claim they both caught a bad stomach flu.

The idea isn't that far fetched. Caroline feels like her stomach is trying to kill her, she feels like she could drink two gallons of coffee and still feel the odd mixture of drunk and tired that she feels. Her joints all feel like she's dying, like her body is just giving up on her. She feels like she could sleep like Sleeping Beauty, for years, to be woken by her soulmate. But then, Caroline remembers that it's a glorified version of a coma from the time of princes and princesses, castles-from centuries past. She takes two minutes at human speed to answer the door. Stefan gives her a half assed attempt at a smile and she gives him one back. It's just hard to get going that morning, they agree, as she locks the door.

It takes both of them concentrating on the road and other vehicles just to drive to school. When Stefan parks, Caroline wants to groan at the idea of walking and paying attention. She wants to sleep. She reads the text Damon sends Stefan, that it doesn't get better with drinking. Damon's sick too. Stefan takes too long to hit reply, and he gets a new message from Katherine. She wants to know what's going on. She feels like death, and he doesn't bother responding to either text. He tells Caroline he broke up with Katherine a while ago, and that he wondered why she hadn't come back to Mystic Falls. Caroline tells him that she was with Rebekah and Katherine had threatened her mom. She tells him that Rebekah compelled her to leave and never return to Mystic Falls. Stefan looks thoughtful, or he's in pain, it's hard to tell because she's not focusing on him, she's trying to make it to her first class. She tells him they should leave after their first class because, god, she feels like shit. He nods, and tells her they should meet by the front office. He'll compel their way out. She disagrees, and says she will. The bunny diet he's on, as Damon would call it, doesn't help with compulsion.

He nods, too tired to fight. It seems like centuries before class starts.


	64. Something horribly wrong

AN: Get ready for angst

Rebekah is watching Stefan walk down the stairs, a few steps away from her, she frowns for a second, this isn't his usual path, but all of her thoughts disappear when she sees him hunch over. She moves through the pasth of humans blocking him from her in seconds, and catches him. She pretends to struggles with his weight, and she sees Caroline and Bonnie catch Caroline. She carefully moves Stefan, he owes her his unfractured skull after all-but something is wrong.

"It must be something they ate." Bonnie suggests loudly, and people start to move away, classes start in two minutes. She has to carefully to drag Stefan to Elena and Bonnie, even though he's not heavy, and compel the three teachers who want to know what's going on.

"Elena. Help me get Stefan and Caroline to my house." She says, and it's not a reqest, it's a demand, and Bonnie flicks her wrist, and Caroline is lighter for Elena to carry, and she manages to carry her bridal style. Elena thanks her. Rebekah asks Bonnie to make up a story and erase the cameras that saw them. Bonnie nods, unhappy with getting orders, but something is going on, and she wants to help fix it. So she walks away to do so, and Rebekah asks if Elena can drive Stefan's car. Elena nods, and Rebekah tells her that she'll give her Stefan's keys once they get him and Caroline in her car. It's odd for Elena to look at, because Stefan isn't small, he's bigger than Rebekah-and she's carrying him like he's nothing.

After some awkward positioning, they put them in the backseat and buckle them in. Elena doesn't ask questions, and Rebekah throws Stefan's keys at her. She orders Elena to follow her home. Elena agrees, and finds Stefan's car as Rebekah leaves the parking lot. She takes a minute to figure out how Stefan drives, and starts the car. She knows the way to the Mikaelson's.


	65. Gray

AN: The big moment of truth is soon. Also, I am aware that I am horrible.

Elena parks next to Rebekah. Her car is empty, and the door opens when she walks up the steps. It's Finn who opened it. She smiles at him and thanks him, and he gestures to his arguing siblings. She can see Caroline and Stefan, looking gray and dead in highbacked chairs, and it seems to mostly be Rebekah and Klaus yelling at each other.

"What happens then?" Rebekah yells.

"We have more time to work with!" Klaus retorts. They seem to notice her arrival after Klaus shouts.

"Do you by chance, know who turned Rose?" Kol asks, calmer than his siblings.

"I thought Mary Porter did." Elena says, but she's unsure.

She hears three siblings swear at once.

"Elijah turned her." Rebekah states, and it takes her a moment to catch up.

"So this is happening to every vampire who's of Elijah's line?" Elena asks.

"Yes." Klaus tells her, and he continues to argue with Rebekah. Elena quietly asks Finn if she can go see Elijah. He nods.

"What about Caroline? What about Stefan?" They hear Rebekah howl at him, and Klaus roars,

"What about Elijah?"

Elena carefully walks up the staircase with Finn, and he pulls her behind him as someone whizzes by. It reminds of her of Elijah and she almost tears up, she doesn't let herself. Finn notes that it was Kol. His eyes widen when they realize they saw something in his hands, and the possibility that it's a dagger is too high. So she runs after him, if Elijah is affected by a spell, and staked, and it still spreads-he'll die without ever knowing how she felt and she doesn't want to tell his grave. Kol is standing next to Elijah, and freezes when he sees Elena. She could kiss his brother and fix everything. He stops, and she sits next to him on his bed. Elijah has a gray tinge to his skin, he almost looks like he's been daggered already. But nothing is sticking out of his chest.

Finn and Kol look alarmed, and she blinks in confusion. She almost has a heart attack as Klaus appears a few inches away from her.  
"What did you do?" Klaus demands to know.

"She just sat next to him." Finn tells his brother, in what he hopes is a calming voice. She can hear Caroline, she can hear Stefan demanding answers downstairs. They sound tired but alive. Finn takes Klaus downstairs, suggesting a storm of brains, and she almost jumps when she hears Elijah. Kol is left, watching them.

"Elena." He greets, and his skin is a lighter gray. She can see the veins start to slowly spread.

"You're dying." She can't think of anything else to say, and he would nod if he could.

The tears start coming out of her eyes, and she can't stop her body from shaking and she apologizes before she does, but she just has to tell him.

"I love you." She cries, and presses her lips to his.


	66. Hugs

AN: So you all followed the whole Mary Porter turned Rose who turned Katherine technically, thus the Salvatores and Caroline, etc thing, right?

(Yes, I know that Klaus turned Mary, I twisted it.) PLEASE GO BACK AND START FROM 64! I messed up my chapters, and didn't publish one of them, so the story didn't make much sense, I just fixed it.

He tastes tears, and Elena. He kisses her back, and there is a burst of light that blinds Kol. It expands out of the room in a circle and spreads.

"What the fuck?" Kol hears the Salvatore downstairs ask. There's a clamor of noise, and he has to blink a few times, but he's not alone when his eyes finally work again. Elena is lying against Elijah and his family hasn't seen him this healthy since the ball. Rebekah starts to tear up. They all stare the the pair on Elijah's bed for a second, his siblings and the younger Salvatore and Caroline.

"Why aren't they awake?" Caroline asks, cautiously. Since Elijah is being covered by Elena, Rebekah moves to hug her.

"It's all over." Rebekah says, and Caroline asks her if it means they can take the grimoires out of her house.

Rebekah just grins and hugs her tighter.


	67. Dreaming

"Elijah?" Elena asks, she has no idea where they are. They're in a forest, too thick and old looking to be Mystic Falls. He's right next to her, looking as healthy as he did in her memories.

'We're in a dream, Elena." He tells her. He can tell, as someone who has been able to manipulate and enter dreams and as one who has dreamed for hundreds of years.

"We're soulmates." She states, unsure if this is her dream or a shared dream.

"Yes, we are." He gives her a little grin, and she asks if their dream is shared. Since soulmates share thoughts, it's possible.

"Wait, so why are we here? Why are we in a dream and not awake?" Elena wonders.

"My guess is that healing me took a lot of energy out of both of us. It was a powerful spell to defeat, our bodies could be recovering." He suggests, and a couch appears. It's so realistic she has a hard time believing it isn't real, Elijah is even wearing a suit. He sits down, and she does too. She leans against him, and he's content. His eyes are closed until Elena asks a question.

"Why didn't you tell me that you loved me?"

"Why didn't you?" He counters, and she moves away and looks a little flustered.

"Because you're an Original and you never seemed interested in me in a more than friends way." She tells him and looks away. He replies that he had the same reasons. She is human, and he thought she only saw him as a valuable ally.

She looks back at him, surprise on her face.

"Sorry you almost died." She says.

"Thank you for saving me." He murmurs, and she's surprised, but then, he always surprises her.

"Kissing you wasn't horrible, you know." She responds, and he looks amused again.

"I'm just "not horrible" as you've so aptly phrased, at kissing?" He inquires and she turns slightly red, and then he sees her thinking for a split second.

"Yup." She says, and pops the p. He looks at her, intense eyes and all.

"You can come prove me wrong, if you want." She's bold and he likes it. His lips meet hers again.


	68. Food Poisoning

AN: I apologize for the terrible Finn joke, also it's like three am and I'm running on frozen coffee stuff. I swear it's like a few more chapters and then it's all wrapped up unless you guys want a continuation or something. If you do, tell me please! If not I'll sleep and write more universe alterations and more soul mate stuff.

"I wonder if they're dreaming." Caroline says, as she sits next to Rebekah on one of the couches in the living room.

Klaus looks interested, and and says,

"You could kiss me and we could find out."

"I'd rather not go into a possible coma." She retorts and Kol laughs. Rebekah sighs.

"That's only in their case, apparently." Rebekah is looking up soulmates saving each other from death.

"Well, you have to factor the fact that Elena is human into the situation." Finn says sagely, and Klaus looks at him in surprise.

"Wait." Caroline requests. Everyone freezes, except Stefan, whose neck is broken because he was annoying Kol with his questions.

"We still don't know what or who was trying to kill Elijah." She realizes aloud, and this gets several groans and a lot of swearing.

"I should take Stefan back to Damon." Caroline says, and Rebekah makes a noise of agreement.

"I'll call you when they wake up." Rebekah assures her and Caroline smiles, and Klaus offers to help her. She wants to say no, but she goes with it anyway.

Klaus tries to chat the entire ride, and she drives, because she got the keys out of Elena's pocket first. It's like a messed up version of ding-dong ditch, because they move Stefan into the passenger seat, and Klaus rings the doorbell and they run. Caroline runs home, and runs into her mother. There's still four hours of school left.

"Caroline. You're looking remarkably well for someone out with food poisoning." Her mother remarks and Caroline asks how long they have to talk.

"Is it a vampire thing?" Her mother asks. Caroline nods, and begins to explain.


	69. Confessions and space

"I wonder what time it is in the real world." Elena says, and looks around the recreated house. Elijah has shown her some of his favorite places, some long past, and some still standing. He's sure she'll catch onto how to do it eventually. They've stuck to light topics, and memories. He watches her show herself around his house in England.

"Do you still have this house?" She asks, as he finds her in his bedroom, where some of his favorite books are. She sits on his bed with a book he's had for centuries.

"Your memory is amazing." She marvels-she expected empty pages in the dream made books, but it's full of words.

"Vampires have amazing memories." He tells her. She supposes it's even greater for Originals. She sets the book aside and he sits next to her on his dream made bed.

He's about to kiss her again when she says,

"Oh my gods, Jeremy." She sits up, leaning against the headboard. He raises an eyebrow.

"Not exactly what I was thinking about before I was about to kiss you but okay." He says.

"No, Jeremy and Ric-they have no idea that I'm here. I didn't tell anybody you were dying."

"I'm sure Caroline will tell them." He says, she told him about the crazy day before he almost died.

"Well, I mean, Caroline and Bonnie already knew-" She rambles and then realizes what she's said.

"When did you really find out?" He asks, curiously. He wonders which of his siblings told, Kol seemed hellbent on him kissing Elena.

"The day before we had lunch at that Italian restaurant." She tells him, looking over to gauge his reaction.

"Which of my siblings divulged this information?"

"Rebekah. It think it just slipped out. She seemed distracted." She informs him, and he looks thoughtful. He's not as betrayed as she thought he would be.

"Are you mad at me?" She has to know, they're stuck in a mutual dream for an unforeseen amount of time.

He sighs.

"I know, logically, had it been anyone else, I would be. But it was also an unwise move on my part, not to tell you. No, Elena, I am not mad at you." He answers truthfully. She moves back down, her back likes the mattress.

"I wonder if you can sleep in a dream." She muses.

"I wouldn't know, I've never tried." He replies, but he wouldn't mind doing so. He likes that Elena is more comfortable with him now. He likes being near her. And she likes being near him, or at least he hopes. She does have his hand in hers and her head on the same pillow as his. If Niklaus was there, he'd make some sarcastic comment about being domestic. He doesn't particularly want to think of his brother when Elena is next to him, telling him a story about her childhood with Jeremy. He wonders how the young Gilbert will react, along with closes his eyes and gives her an indication that he's still listening.

He feels tired in the sense that they've spent what feels like several days, in a dream. He wonders when they'll leave. He needs restful sleep.


	70. Monday morning

"Oh my gods, how bloody long can they take?" Rebekah groans. Caroline tells her that she's told Jeremy and Ric, but Elena has to wake up before Monday or people will wonder what's wrong. Elena's always at school. That text was yesterday. It's twelve oh one, according to Rebekah's phone. She hasn't slept since Elijah started.

Klaus is about to make what she's sure is a scathing comment when they hear Elijah yawn.

It takes most of Rebekah's impulse control to not interrupt him and Elena, so she calls Caroline, and asks her to pick her best friend up. Caroline yawns, but tells her she'll be over in fifteen minutes.

"Oh my gods, it's Monday." Elena tells him, and he looks surprised. She looks at her phone again, to see a few missed calls and texts.

"Tell her Caroline is coming to pick her up and take her home." Rebekah says, knowing Elijah can hear her.

He repeats the message, and tells Elena that Rebekah had arranged it. She yawns and she wants sleep.

She also wants to talk more, but her brain is void of anything but the fact that she's tired. She's got no idea when she gets downstairs, her converse on her feet and phone in hand.

The door opens before Elena hears a knock, and Elena is aware of two things in a single moment, Caroline is hugging her and she can smell coffee. When Caroline lets go, she hands Elena the coffee cup, and her stomach growls.

"I'll get you some food on the way home. I already told Ric about what happened, and I'll be staying over for the morning." Caroline says, and Elena nods as she takes a sip. The blinks and she wonders if coffee is a form of magic.

"Bye, Elijah." She says, and he says goodbye as well. The other vampires watching wonder if they can hear each other's thoughts already.

They don't, and Caroline drives her home. She makes sure Elena is caffeinated, she needs her awake for an hour, and then she'll let her sleep until they have to go to school.

"I have my stuff in your room, you need to copy my homework and take a shower and eat."

"Then sleep?" Elena asks hopefully.

"Yeah." Caroline says, as Elena unlocks her front door.

"Food first." Elena requests, and Caroline shuts the door.


	71. Hearing

It's Rebekah who hugs him first, tears racing down her face. She needs the security of knowing he's okay and hugs him tightly. He hugs her back, and it's silent for a few moments. The tears are happy tears, and that's what matters.

"I told you that you weren't going to die." Rebekah whispers and he just grins. They break apart for Kol to hit him on the back.

"Glad my favorite brother isn't dead." He says, and Elijah grins widely at him, seeing Klaus's offended look. Finn doesn't look surprised, they all know him the least. Being daggered for most of one's life would do that. Elijah hugs him too, briefly. Klaus just stares for second, before hugging him too.

"I'm happy you're not dead." He says truthfully.

"Because you'd miss your sparring partner and my wit?" Elijah quips and Klaus just rolls his eyes.

Then, he feels it. It's like something passes through him, and he moves forward slightly. Smiling faces turn serious.

"Elijah?" Rebekah asks.

"I can hear Elena's thoughts." He says, and they all look at him with varying levels of surprise.


	72. Essay

"Okay, I ate, I showered, I copied all of your homework, can I sleep now?" Elena asks. Caroline nods, exhausted. She sets several alarms to wake them up, and hopes they work. The lights are off in Elena's room and she feels oddly peaceful for a moment before she whispers,

"Oh fuck."

"What now?" Caroline asks.

"We have an essay due in English." She says, and makes no attempt to move out of her bed. Neither does Caroline.

"I'll compel the teacher to move the deadline to next Monday. Vervain is out of the water supply." Caroline sighs, and then she's out.

So is Elena.


	73. Getting Ready

AN: Thoughts are in Italics

Elena's dreams are blissfully boring, she dreams of throwing Caroline a birthday party, and then the rest is nonsensical. The best part is, it's restful sleep. For the five hours they sleep. They wake up with groans, and Elena wants to go back to sleep. There's a thought in her head that feels familiar.

 _Me too._

" _Elijah?" She wonders._

" _The one and only." She can practically hear the sarcasm._

" _Wow."_

"Elena?" Caroline asks, and she looks at Elena with concerned eyes.

"Elijah and I now have the thoughts thing going on." Elena explains. Caroline wonders how Elena will ever pay attention in school again.

" _Actually, it worked last night, I just wasn't thinking about anything." Elijah informs her._

" _I think I could tell that." Elena confesses, remembering her moment of odd peace._

" _I wonder if this works with images?" Elena thinks, and then realizes Elijah can hear._

 _She is shown a view of his his room, and tells him she has to go-_

She keeps her mind blank as she tries to get ready, Elijah is distracting, and teasing her with thoughts of his warm and cozy bed.

" _Maybe I'll just go over there after school." She tells him and he laughs._

" _Our first date-napping." He replies sarcastically as she brushes her hair._

" _Well if napping counts as dates, then we're definitely not one date number one." She thinks. He laughs, and she tells him she has to focus on getting ready._

Elena reminds Caroline around sips of coffee, that she needs to remember to compel their English teacher about the essay before school starts. Elena almost feels bad, but it's just a few days, and she can't be the only one who didn't do it. Besides, their English teacher is starting to get obnoxious. Who wants to do an entire essay on a book no one liked just on color symbolism?

" _That sounds dreadful."_ She hears Elijah think, and she has to fight a smile because no one knows she's found her soulmate, and they might think it weird that she's smiling to herself. Caroline moves quickly to get to their teacher, and Elena goes to her locker. To see Stefan when she closes it.

"What do you want?" She asks.

"What happened this weekend?" He asks her, and they're quiet.

"Elijah was dying, everyone in his line was dying since he was-you and Caroline passed out at school, Rebekah made me help her get you guys to her house. I saved Elijah from dying, everyone was fine and when you woke up, you kept asking questions and you bothered Kol so he snapped your neck. Caroline and Klaus drove your car back to the boarding house with you inside."

"Then why did they just ring the doorbell and leave? How did you save Elijah? Why were you with the Originals all weekend?" Stefan inquires.

"I don't know why Klaus does what he does. And I'm-." Elena hesitates. If people find out that she's Elijah's soulmate, it could be used against her.

 _If this goes badly, we could just compel him to forget._ Elijah's reminds her.

"Elijah and I are soulmates, Stefan." She says, and the bell is about to ring.


	74. School Day

AN: I have like two chapters to go, and if you all want another fic that goes farther, I'm game. I need to work on a few more fics, but I really want to do something loosely based off the Ester and Elijah scene in 2x06 of the Originals that's related to this.

"I didn't see that coming." He says, and she runs off to catch her first class, and so does he. She makes it before the bell rings, and she hands in her homework. She wants to space out, but takes sips of her coffee.

She half pays attention to her teacher lecturing, and half of her mind is on Elijah, doing business. It's interesting, he's doing a number of things, and she enjoys watching him work.

The bell rings, and she tells him that she's definitely sleeping after school.

English passes without a worry and her other classes just seem like forever. Caroline asks her at lunch why she's so tired.

"You slept for over forty eight hours." Caroline complains half heartedly.

"Yeah, but my mind was awake. It felt like I wasn't sleeping." Elena confesses, around a bite of sandwich.

"Well what did you and Elijah do? Was it like a shared dream or-" Bonnie trails off.

"We shared a dream. It seemed like forever, but we just talked. It seemed like a long time." Elena tells her friends and Elijah is listening to how she explains it.

"Like two days?" Bonnie asks. Elena shakes her head.

"It seemed like it was just-timeless."

"Wow. Soulmates seem like a pain in the ass." Caroline jokes, even though they all know she's been dying to find hers since she went through that princess phase when they were kids.

"It's kind of nice, though." Elena muses.

"How?" Bonnie asks.

"You never feel like you're really alone." She yawns.


	75. Shovel Talk

AN: This is it, the final chapter of this fic. Wow. Can you guys believe it?

It's the end of the day, Elena is planning on catching a ride with Caroline to the Mikaelsons once she gets what she need out of her locker.

"Elena!" She hears a familiar voice call, and then the person is in her view. It's Rebekah. She focuses on the present to the point where she's almost sure Elijah can see it-she always needs to be aware when with Rebekah.

"Yeah?" She asks, grabbing her history textbook.

"Are you planning on seeing Elijah after school?" Rebekah inquires.

"Yes, I am." Elena replies, and she almost reaches to see what Elijah is thinking.

"I can give you a ride." Rebekah says, and Elena shuts her locker.

"Thank you." Elena is sure Caroline won't mind-she's packing up at Elena's house and then going home to sleep too. She texts Caroline the new plans, and tells Ric as well.

Rebekah looks at her with something she can't identify in her eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" Rebekah asks casually. Elena nods and Rebekah starts walking. Elena follows, and as she walks, she tries to find out what Elijah is doing. Nothing. His mind is blissfully empty. She can still feel his presence in her head, but he's just sleeping without any dreams.

Rebekah unlocks the car and Elena get in when she realizes what the Original is doing.

"Elena, you and I haven't always been friendly, and honestly until about a week ago I still didn't like you. But you make Elijah happy. He's your soulmate. If you ever hurt him-well. You know how much I love stabbing and throwing things." Rebekah says casually, and had it been anyone else, it wouldn't have sounded like much of a threat. But it did, and Elena takes a deep breath.

"I'm not planning on hurting him. I don't want to hurt him." She says carefully, and there's something shifting, Elijah is partially awake. Rebekah continues driving and doesn't look at her.

"Good."

"I'm not going to hurt Elijah." Elena says again, after a few minutes.

"You'd better not. You don't just have me to deal with if you do." Rebekah warns.

"I know." Elena reminds her.

"Alright, I'm glad we had this little chat." Rebekah remarks as she parks.

Elena gets out of the car, and Rebekah is gone when she does. When she reaches the front door, it's opened by Klaus.

"Klaus." She says.

"Come walk with me." He says it like it's a suggestion, but it's a command.

"Let me set my stuff down first." Elena tells him, and sets her bag by the stairs. He watches, and then walks. She follows.

"I've already killed you once. If you break Elijah's heart, I'll do it again." He says, nonchalantly.

"I'm not going to. I love him." She tells Klaus, and he looks faintly surprised. They see Finn walking towards them, and he says something she can't hear. Klaus walks away.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you not to hurt him." He says, and Elena shakes her head.

"Have a nice day, Elena." Finn says, and departs.

"You too." She says, and bumps into Kol.

"Alright. I'm ready." She says, and he looks faintly looks like Elijah when he does.

"For what?" He asks, as he walks slowly up the stairs with her.

She stops, and so does he.

"Aren't you going to give me the shovel talk like the rest of your siblings?" She asks.

"What's that?" He asks, and she forgets that he's not caught up on all of the slang he missed. She explains it, and his grin grows wider.

"Who was first?" He questions, and they begin their slow pace up the stairs again.

"Rebekah, then Klaus and Finn." She informs him. He laughs.

"Aren't you going to give me shovel talk?" She asks. He shakes his head.

"I know you won't hurt him." It's honest. He's seen the way they interact, sees the way they behave around each other. She wouldn't dream of it. Elena wouldn't want to, he thinks. She stops for a second.

"Thank you." She says and he looks thoughtful.

"I also don't want to know what you'd threaten me with." She adds, and he just grins at her. He's about to walk back down the stairs, when she asks him an odd question.

"Does he ever wear anything other than suits?" She wants to know. Kol pauses.

"No. Not this decade." He tells her. She looks mystified, and he can't resist.

"I mean, you'll see him naked at some point, but even that's a _birthday_ _suit_ , so-" He trails off and she's scarlet. He forgot how much fun humans are. She opens the door to Elijah's room, and he wiggles his eyebrows. He likes hearing her embarrassed heart. It's proof he was successful.

Elijah is in bed, she notices, and even his pajamas look suit like. She unties her converse, and knows he's asleep. She sets her converse by the bed, takes off her hoodie, sets her phone for an alarm in a few hours, and moves under the covers. She carefully sits next to him, curious to see if she can wake him up with just her thoughts.

" _Elijah."_

" _Elena?" He asks,_ and his thoughts sound like yawning-even though he isn't physically doing it.

" _Wake up." She suggests,_ and he opens his eyes.

"Hi." She says.

" _Hello there."_ He draws it out, and it reminds her of the day they met. She moves onto her side, and he pulls the covers up, and there's no place she'd rather be. He pulls her closer, and she closes her eyes.

finis


End file.
